Hiking in Ticino is a hike I have been looking forward to for a long time. Unfortunately, it didn't turn into the hike I wanted, nor did I get to go where I wanted. There are multiple reasons for that, but, the biggest was the weather. For the hike, it poured the entire time, so I hiked in an area that was not on dirt paths, and I kept the distance to about 8k.
Part I: On to hiking
There is something about being in Ticino and enjoying the amazing views, the Italian culture, and the fun hiking. On this hike, none of that happened.
I picked a small town called Maggia to hike in based on knowing the weather would be really bad, and I would be limited in my options. But, what I did manage was take a few nice photos even though the rain was steady and heavy.
The Maggia Valley and Maggia River are part of the alpine region. So, the views are spectacular. Every time I am headed south to Italy, or even Lugano, I can see these mountains off to the right and have always wanted to visit them.
I was not sure the best place to park, so I picked a spot just on the side of the town. This gave me what seemed to be the best options because I could hike on in the valley, and then circle around to the town of Maggia, which I did.
This was right next to where I parked. A beautiful start on a beautiful rainy day!!!
As I crossed the river, there was an elderly couple walking up the road. The man was holding an umbrella for the two of them, and they were completely engaged in a conversation as they almost didn't notice me as I walked by.
Just as they passed, I noticed some cows. I was having a difficult time keeping my camera dry, and so I took this shot without even looking in the view finder to see if it was lined up. I love the cows!!!
Outside of the main town of Maggia is Valle Maggia, a small village up on the side of the mountain. The population of this town is about 200 people and the town is just beautiful. But, instead of me telling you, take a look and see.....
Higher up on the side of the mountain are some wanderweg signs, and a beautiful driveway with vines that grow over the top. Because of the weather, I could not get a much better picture than this, but, it is still good enough to see.
A little further away is a beautiful church and cemetery I looked at a few of the stones and they are not that old, but it is very well maintained, and I suspect, because of how small the village is, it is more than enough for them.
Below is one last image of Valle Maggia. It isn't very clear to see in this picture, but all of the roads are made up of stones. But, these are not big stones one may expect to see, they are small, about half the size of an adult hand. But, what else is interesting is they are all placed in the ground upright, as I presume it gives them more stability. I cannot even imagine the amount of work and time it took to collect all of these stones and then place them in such a fine order.... Simply amazing!!
So, before I went back into the main town of Maggia, I had to cross the river. I had a choice of crossing where I first crossed (a nice, car driven bridge), or, go up the river further to hopefully find another bridge. Well... I found one.. but, it was not a bridge I am fond of. It may have been 30-40 feet above the water, and it may have looked perfectly fine, but trust me.. it shook, it wobbled, it was really slippery because of the rain, and it had room for NO ONE but me. So, if by chance someone wanted to cross (though no one was out) they would have had to wait as I was holding on for dear life. one arm on the left cable, one on the right. As I said, it wasn't all that wide.
and a view of the river looking the other way, just before I went up, on, and over
Part II: Canton Ticino
Before I go into some generic details of Ticino, here are a couple of more pictures from Maggia. Even with the rain, (though it looks like it isn't raining in the second picture, but it is), the views were spectacular.
I have not decided which canton I like the most, but I know I am quite fond of Ticino. It is the only canton that is solely an Italian speaking canton. No German, no Swiss German, no Romansh.
Like Thurgau, Ticino joined Switzerland in 1803. There is a third canton that also joined this same year, but you will have to wait for my next hike to find out which one that is... what WILL it be????
The highest point in Ticino is Adula, at 11,161 feet (3,402 meters) and the lowest point is Lake Maggiore which is at 640 feet (195 meters). The total population of Ticino is 336,943 and it covers 2,812 kms.
Something I did not know until researching but Lugano is the third largest financial center in Switzerland. Only Zurich and Geneva are larger.
Locarno is also the home of the Locarno International Film Festival which has existed since 1946.
I cannot say for sure, but it appears (only by a hair) that Ticino is the southern most canton in Switzerland.
I highly recommend hiking in Ticino but also, spending some time there. Once you cross over the mountains to the south side, the weather changes, the culture changes, the language changes, and the people, well, they are fantastic.
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