Crest Hike from Alpe Foppa to Monte Lema via Monte Tamaro

(This blog item published July 5, 2023, therefore the times are no longer sure)

October 24, 2014 – After a good night’s sleep in Linescio near Bosco Gurin, and a breakfast of homemade bread at Pablo’s B&B, we got back on the bus as the sun was rising above the hills, and traveled another 2¾ hours to our starting point for today’s hike: Alpe Foppa on Monte Tamaro. At 1956m, Monte Tamaro is not a high mountain, but it’s the highest in this area, and affords a 360-degree view across the entire Alps and south into Italy, especially on a gorgeous clear day like the one we had.

The 15-km hike from Alpe Foppa (reached by cable car) to Monte Lema – with a detour over the peak of Monte Tamaro – takes minimum 5 hours, which made it a tough hike because we only had about 6 hours till the last cable car down the mountain (we really should have started 2 hours earlier). So not a lot of rest stops. Worst part is at the end, when the goal looks so close, you realize you first have to walk way down and way up again…

(Photos of the hike we did the day before in the Bosco Gurin Valley are HERE).

As we ascend from Rivera with the cable-way to Alpe Foppa, we get a good look at one of Mario Botta's (world-renowned Swiss architect) famous buildings: "Santa Maria degli Angeli", built from 1992 to 1996 and made of concrete and porphyry. 

Before starting on our hike, a quick walk to the look-out platform on the church building, and a look up to the peak called La Manèra, which we first have to scale before heading on to Monte Tamaro, the peak on the right. 

We started at about 11:30 a.m. (?), and the walk across the crest to Monte Lema is about five hours. The last cable-car of the day from there back off the mountain was at about 5:30 p.m.

Heading up the wide (and boring) winding road to the tower and Capanna Tamaro. There was a lot of shade from the mountain on this west side, unfortunately. 

Ah, but the view down to Alpe Foppa and the Magadino Plain below, as we climb higher and higher, is worth the trouble. In the back are the mountains of Canton Graubünden. 

And the view to the West..... The view is all the way to the Monte Rosa Massif in the Alps of Canton Valais, the snow-covered peaks on the left. 

It took almost 90 minutes to get here, just before the final steep climb to the summit of Monte Tamaro, which is the peak in the back. 

Fantastic panorama view toward Locarno to the North, and the Swiss Alps, as we ascend to the summit of Monte Tamaro.

A steep 30-minute climb, and we reach the summit of Monte Tamaro at about 1:30 p.m. According to the sign, we still have another 3+ hours to Monte Lema!

Spectacular views to the west from the summit of Monte Tamaro, past the summit of Monte Gambarogno, and all the way to the Monte Rosa Massif, where the highest peak in Switzerland is located. (All those snow-covered peaks in the back are over 4000 meters)

And this view is to the south-east to the Capriasca Region near Lugano

Enjoying a late lunch break on the summit of Monte Tamaro, looking north-east toward Bellinzona. 

Below is Lago Maggiore, the Maggia Delta, and the city of Locarno with all its "suburbs". You can just make out the Verzasca Dam on the right. 

A clearer view of the lake and the Verzasca Dam

Panorama view of the Magadino Plain and Alpe Foppa on the left, all the way to more Italian Alps in the east. 

This view to the Southwest includes mainly Italy, and the Italian part of the lake called Lago Maggiore.

Heading down off Monte Tamaro. It's a very warm day for the end of October!

As we continue south along the crest of the range between Monte Tamaro and Monte Lema, we get more and more of a view into the lower hills to the West, which are mostly in Italy... with the exception of the village most to the right. This is Indemini, the final village on the Swiss side of the border. 

A zoomed view of the village of Indemini, which is the final village on the Swiss side. The other villages upper right and upper left are in Italy. 

Another look behind us at Monte Tamaro as we continue southward. 

Passing a herd of goats along the way. 

Finally reaching Monte Lema, or so I thought. The cable car station looks so close, but there is still a valley in between!

And here we are arriving at our destination at about 5 p.m. The final descent was to be at 5:30, and there were so many people so we got in line quickly. We thought they might operate the three-car cableway continuously, but this was not the case. I'm not even sure if all the people made it onto this final run. We did, so we were happy about that. 

The elevations we walked on the 15-km stretch between Alpe Foppa and Monte Lema. 

What the hike looks like on Google Satellite Maps

Valley Hike from Bosco Gurin to Linescio near the Maggia Valley in Ticino

(Post published on October 8, 2024) 

Thursday October 23, 2014 – First snow of the season came low on the mountains on Wednesday, so our two days off on Thursday and Friday were spent in the south of Switzerland again (Italian part = Ticino) with another two 4-5 hour hikes and a very interesting overnight at Pablo’s Bed & Breakfast in Linescio in the Rovana Valley. 

[Pablo is a cool dude… He inherited his grandmother’s old house and turned it into a bed and breakfast. He drinks wine with his guests, bakes bread for their breakfast, leaves his doors unlocked so his guests can check themselves in while he is cliff climbing in Italy during the day! He also probably doesn’t have a computer because his stack of business cards are individually hand printed, as are his hiking maps….] 

First day we traveled 4½ hours by train & bus to our starting point of Bosco Gurin, a small German-speaking "enclave" in the Swiss-Italian Alps. The snow made it down this far and the alleys were icy. From here we walked 12 km (4 hours) all the way back down the valley to Linescio, mostly just below the sunshine level. This is a side valley to the Maggia Valley, which is a U-shaped valley, and to get to the side valleys you have to drive 2-3 km up zigzag roads, from which you practically look straight down to the valley floor….

After a train ride to Locarno and a bus ride into the Maggia Valley, we change buses here in Cevio, a lovely village in the Maggia Valley at the junction of the Rovana Valley.

We left home about 6 a.m. for the 3¾-hour trip to Cevio (We got here about 10 a.m.). From here another bus takes us up into the Rovana Valley, and further right to the end of the line at the village of Bosco Gurin, another 45-minute bus ride from here. 

The roads are such narrow switchbacks that the regular bus wouldn't make the turns.

This zigzag road literally had 180-degree switchbacks. Our hostel for the night was right at the entrance of the valley, but we took the bus to the end of the line in Bosco Gurin, and walked the 12 kilometers back to Linescio. 

The switchbacks are literally 180 degrees! It is about 2 km of switchbacks from Cevio to Linescio. 

Heading past Linescio now, with its terraced vineyards (there must be enough sunshine for this!)

A look behind us down the Rovana Valley (the river is called the Rovana) into the Maggia Valley as the bus continues toward Bosco Gurin. (Unfortunately, most of our walk back was in the deeper shadow). 

At the junction of the "Valle di Bosco Gurin" and "Valle di Campo" is a town called Cerentino. The bus passes through here on the way to Bosco Gurin, but our trail did not pass here on the way back down. 

The old church in Cerentino, as we pass here by bus. Worth coming to have a look some time in the future..... 

Arriving in Bosco Gurin at about 11 a.m. It has snowed here as well, but mostly melted at the level of the village, although the alleys were a bit icy. 

Bosco Gurin is a kind of German "enclave" within Canton Ticino, and the only place in the Canton where German is the main language spoken.  

Walking around the village of Bosco Gurin before we start on our hike back down the valley. 

Walking around the village of Bosco Gurin before we start on our hike back down the valley. 

The village is at the back of a cauldron-shaped valley and also very popular for skiing in winter. 

From Bosco Gurin we walked just over 11 km back to Linescio, where we spent the night in Pablo's B&B. We started just after 11 a.m. in Bosco Gurin, and arrived in Linescio just after 4 p.m. 

We don't often cross paths with horses...

Look at the little cow watching us from the barn. It was quite shadowy in most of the valley by this time of year. 

Mostly we walked along the Rovana river through the shady forests -- cold, but at least protected from the strong north wind that day

Lunch time!

As we got closer to the junction of the Bosco Gurin Valley and the Campo Valley, we could see that some of the villages higher up on the north side of the valley (not along the valley trail) were in sunshine, so we changed plans and walked up the hillside to pass through the villages of Corino and Camanoglio. This meant walking on some paved roads, but much nicer to be in the sunshine. 

Here is where we left the valley trail to pass through Corino and Camanoglio. Sometimes it's nicer to pass through the villages instead of just being in the forest, especially if the forest is in late autumn shadow!

Corino in the Rovana Valley

Camanoglio in the Rovana Valley. 

Camanoglio in the Rovana Valley. From here we can see into the other side valley called Valle di Campo. 

Camanoglio in the Rovana Valley. 

A look back up the Bosco Gurin Valley

The road ends at Camanoglio and we had a steep descent through chestnut forests back down to the main valley bottom trail.

The entire ground all the way down (350 m altitude) was littered like this. The chestnuts are dropping now, and I collected a whole pocket full!

(Later at home: Here's my harvest... I would have collected more, but not enough time... these I will roast in the microwave!) Side note: In the Italian part of Switzerland, this used to be a popular crop because they are healthy and hearty. There are a lot of baked goods with chestnut paste at this time of year.

Finally back down at the main road to continue on the valley trail. It was a 350-meter descent to here!

The trail passes above a smattering of houses called Collinasca, and what appears to be a very old church. We didn't detour to the old church, though, although it wasn't far. By now it's almost 3 p.m. and we've already been walking for almost four hours and want to get to our B&B soon! 

After another long 2½ kilometers (about an hour) we finally arrive at the first houses of Linesco. It is now near to 4 p.m. and no sunshine anymore here, unfortunately.  

Just below the main road and near the bus stop in the main part of Linescio is a small cemetery. (Across from the church, no photos???) 

The small cemetery in Linescio. 

Even further down the road and near to our B&B we discovered this old mill, whose door was open, so we went in to have a look before going to the hostel. 

I went into the hostel as I was tired, but Urs still wanted to take a bus ride back up the valley and into the other side valley called Valle di Campo, as there was still plenty of sunshine up there, and this was the final bus running up and back down the valley (leaving Linescio about 16:20 for a 40-minute trip). In Cimalmotto the bus has about a 20-minute pause before heading back at 17:20, so Urs had a bit of time to look around. These are the photos he took:

End of the line in Valle di Campo, this village is called Cimalmotto. 

This is the main church in Cimalmotto. The bus got here at about 5 p.m. and waits about 20 minutes before returning for its final run of the day back to Cerentino and Cevio.  

A small votive chapel along the road just below the village of Cimalmotto. 

From the little votive chapel along the side of the road, you get a good look at the next village lower down, it is called Campo (Vallemaggia) and still has lots of late afternoon sun. How lovely!

Back in Linescio at about 6 p.m., we decide to have dinner at the small local restaurant, that red building just a short way up the main road from our hostel. 

Dinner at the local restaurant, Osteria Sascola, cute and cozy. Even Pablo was here to chat with the locals.... the guy on the left behind me!

This was the room we had at Pablo's B&B, very spacious, reasonably-priced including breakfast, shared bathroom (which does not bother us). In the morning he had breakfast prepared for us, with his homemade bread which he baked the night before. We were alone and helped ourselves, as we wanted to leave with the 7:30 bus, and he does not like to get up that early!

What our 12-km hike down the Bosco Gurin and Rovana Valleys looks like on Google Satellite Maps. 

Bosco Gurin is at the end of the Rovana Valley, a side valley to the Maggia Valley in Ticino.