December 14, 2016 -- As of December 11, the new 57-km Gotthard Base Tunnel is open to trips by the public, so what better idea than to use our maiden voyage through the longest train tunnel in the world to go to one of the remotest and hardest-to-reach places in the Ticino: Indemini near the Italian border, and a hike around Monte Gambarogno. As far as kilometers go, this remote valley is not that far from Locarno, but to get there requires a one-hour bus ride along a steep and winding road.
Till now we could not have done this as a day trip, as there was no connection early enough for us, but the new tunnel cuts our trips down South short by 30-40 minutes, and in this case the connection works in our favour.
The 17-minute trip through the tunnel at 200 km per hour was so smooth you hardly noticed the speed. Plus we left home in the darkness and fog at 6:15, so there wasn't much to see anyway. And once we got to the starting point of our hike at 9:30, we were up in the sunshine while the rest of Northern Switzerland wallowed in thick fog. Yeah for the quicker trips to the South!
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The white line is the bus trail; it took over an hour to get to our starting point at Alpe di Neggia. We hiked first to the cross, then to the highest point on Monte Gambarogno, then down to a mountain farm where in summer you can buy cheese and other products made on the farm. Next stop where we had lunch was the Oratorio Sant'Anna whose origins date from the 14th or 15th century, and whose hermit rooms have been converted into a hostel. After 3.5 hours' hike we got to our destination of Indemini, the only traditional Ticinese settlement to be built entirely of stone quarried from the site itself. Before heading back home through the super tunnel, we first had a 1hr+bus ride back down again!
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| Start of our hike at Alpe di Neggia at 9:30 a.m., looking down at Lago Maggiore at the entrance to the Verzasca Valley |
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| Before reaching the summit, we stopped at the cross for some spectacular views of the Maggia Delta (Locarno) |
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| Before reaching the summit, we stopped at the cross for some spectacular views of the Maggia Delta (Locarno) |
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| Heading across the sunny ridge to the summit of Monte Gambarogno |
At the summit of Monte Gambarogno, on the border to Italy. The hill at the center is in Italy, and the white peaks on the right are the highest peaks in the Swiss Alps (Dufour Peak and Monte Rosa Massif).
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| From the summit we head to the West side of Monte Gambarogno, to Alpe Cedullo. |
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| Enjoying the sun and the views |
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| Ticinese Forests |
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| Alpe Cedullo. They have sheep here in summer and you can buy home-made cheese |
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| Oratorio Sant'Anna dates from the 14th-15th centuries. We had a picnic lunch here. |
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| Oratorio Sant'Anna dates from the 14th-15th centuries. We had a picnic lunch here. |
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| 3.5 hours' hike brings us to the village of Indemini. |
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| We were hoping to have a coffee before catching the bus, but the restaurant is closed. |
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| The remote village of Indemini right at the Italian border, clings to the steep hillside. |
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| This is a gas station in a small village! Probably for the bus. (It runs only three times per day) |
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| The new Gotthard Base Tunnel shortens our trips South by 30-40 minutes! |
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| The weather in Northern Switzerland since a couple of weeks already.... |
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