Alpine Passes Trail

The Bedretto valley stretches from the Nufenen pass to Airolo and forms the uppermost section of the Leventina valley. The Capanna Corno Gries is situated at the very back on a magnificent high plateau. Bought from the military in 1920, the mountain hut has been rebuilt several times since then, most recently in 2007 according to the plans of the architect Silvano Caccia. The roof was removed from the traditional stone building, and a spectacular wooden structure was added.

A path leads from the hut through the scenic Val Corno. Towards the east, the view extends over the Bedretto valley to the alpine peaks of the Lukmanier region. After a good thirty minutes of hiking in a westerly direction, the sweeping view stretches to the Gries glacier and the surrounding peaks. A few minutes later, the pretty reservoir completes the scenery. The lake has a storage capacity of 18 million m3 and thus feeds 21.6 kwh of energy into the network. At the Gries pass, you cross the border into Italy. Looking back, you can see the wind turbines of Europe's highest wind farm, located between the Gries and Nufenen passes. In the background, the Finsteraarhorn peak is a striking sight.

Once in Italy, the steep descent into the Valle del Gries takes about an hour. One more hour and a few hairpin bends later you arrive at the reservoir in the Valle di Morasco, for which the uppermost village of Muraschg, including the church, was sacrificed in 1940. The lake of Morasco is nestled charmingly between Punta del Morasco and Monte Immel. Those who descend a 700 m altitude difference must also climb back up again: the ascent of almost 800 m to the Passo di Nefelgiu is steep and tiring. At the highest point of the stage at almost 2600 m. a. s. l., the finish line, Lago Vannino, is already in sight. Now it's time to pause for a moment and enjoy the alpine panorama before tackling the final descent. After a long hike and many metres in altitude difference, the first of two stages outside Switzerland ends at the Rifugio Margaroli. On the Italian side, you can look forward to a typical dinner with "Primo, Secondo and Dolci".