Malcantone-Caslano
Intro
Malcantone, the gently rolling, densely grown hilly landscape that extends from Lake Lugano to Monte Lema, had for centuries only one main one staple: The chestnut. Picturesque Ticinese villages, narrow mountain roads and extensive chestnut forests characterize this region. Bicyclists, and especially hikers, find excellent conditions here.
To this day, ancient chestnut groves are carefully tended. Thick, gnarled trees that stand on a brown-yellow carpet of ferns turn the mountain valley into a park-like landscape. The “Sentiero del castagno”, or Chestnut Trail, near Arosio points the way from grove to grove and informs the hiker about the chestnut culture in Malcantone.
To this day, it is not clear how the region got its name. There have been several assumptions; one of them implies that “Mal Cantone” was a region of many evils. Today this is certainly not true at all: Switzerland Tourism has bestowed the award “Switzerland pure” on a project in Malcantone. In former times iron ore was mined here and subsequently forged in the region’s mills. This trade has long since died out, but some of the mines, forges, and mills can still be visited on the hiking trail “Sentiero delle Meraviglie”.
In the Monte Caslano National Park, visitors see characteristic examples of Ticino’s geological and botanical variety. In the valleys of Malcantone, rich artistic and cultural treasures are encountered. For example, the Castelrotto (castle ruin), a church that reminds one of late-medieval castles, or the churches Santo Stefano in Miglieglia and San Michele in Arosio with their frescoes, or numerous museums, such as the Chocolate Museum and the Fishery Museum in Caslano. Winegrowing has also gained in importance, in particular the cultivation of Merlot grapes.
