Alpine Passes Trail

The view of Val Camadra from the Scaletta hut is fabulous. It is one of the five gateways into the protected Greina Plain. Numerous streams, lakes and stretches of high moorland are the plain's distinctive features. You descend along a beautiful and varied path, past little streams and waterfalls, until you reach Val Camadra. After Pian Geirett, the streams merge into the Brenno della Greina river. Following this river, you walk along paths at first and then along a road down towards Campo Blenio. It takes almost three hours to reach the village and the valley of the same name (Val Campo).

For a long time, people were forced to emigrate from this tributary valley because access was inadequate. But then, a breathtaking road was built in 1891. Continue to follow the hiking trail towards the valley, and you will soon reach the old road. It starts at the tunnel which replaced the old road in 1958 because the Luzzone Dam was built at this time. A hiking trail leads down to Olivone along the old road even today. The road could not prevent emigration from the valley, but this has been compensated by the number of second homes encouraged by tourism facilities.

However, the alpine pass trail does not lead to Olivone, but turns right at Campo Blenio into the Val di Campo and towards the Passo di Gana Negra. You soon reach the main road passing through the small village, which you follow for a while. At Orsaira, the scenery changes: a beautiful path runs through a forest with lush green grass until you reach Ronco di Gualdo. After crossing the bridge over the stream, the last steep section follows on a winding path to the SAC hut Capanna Bovarina. The view of the valley, the Luzzone dam and the surrounding mountains is simply fabulous.

With its crossings via Passo Sole, Passo della Greina and Pass Diesrut, the Blenio Valley was one of the very early Alpine routes to carry traffic. Although the valley's situation makes it part of the austere mountain world, it has quite a southern ambience. There is even a tradition of wine-growing here.