On Top of the World on Monte Cimetta

January 4, 2016 -- Just as we got our first snow North of the Alps and forecast for cold cold weather, we got in one more real hike in the South, in the area where we have been doing lots of hiking lately.

Locarno's local mountain is called Cimetta, and its highest point (1670m), is reachable by funicular, cable car and lastly a chair lift.... in normal years it also snows up here, but this year there is only a little snow and ice left on the North side of the hills from an early October snow.

We quickly changed our original plans to climb the higher mountain behind it, for fear of finding ourselves on icy trails (plus the wind was really cold up here), and decided to stay on the sunny side walking along the flank to a little gathering of buildings called Monti di Lego before heading down the mountain to Brione above Locarno. Amazingly, it's almost like spring here, so balmy, and the japanese cherries are blossoming.

As soon as spring really rolls around though, we are going up again, up the higher mountain....

First we take the funicular from near Locarno train station to Orselina, then a cable car to Cardada, then a chair lift to Cimetta.

The beautiful Madonna del Sasso (Madonna of the Rock) Church in Orselina. From here we continue by cable car.

Below is Cardada, we are on the way to Cimetta on the Chair Lift.

We have hiked all over those hills behind me in the last couple of years. To the left is the Centovalli, to the right at the back is the Onsernone Valley, and right behind me is the Maggia Valley.

View from Cardada-Cimetta, top photo is to the West, bottom photo to the South.

Below left is the Maggia Delta in Locarno, and this is Lago Maggiore

From the viewing platform: On the left is the mountain we had wanted to hike up today, but we were unsure if the paths were icy on the North side. So we went down along the flank of Mount Drosa instead, and walked to Monti di Lego before walking back down into the valley.

Below is Alpe Cardada, a restaurant and hostel. From there we continue to Monti di Lego.

Along the way are a couple of other groupings of Rustico homes.

Arriving at the clearing that is called Monti di Lego.

Chapel at Monti di Lego

At Monti di Lego. The view across the Maggia Delta is wonderful.

Chapel at Monti di Lego

Building with Lego at Monti di Lego! (Lego in Italian means to join together)

It was so peaceful and balmy here, we didn't want to leave.

From Monti di Lego you can also look North into the Verzasca Valley. Our original plan was to walk to Mergoscia, the village straight ahead, but that meant an hour on the shady side of the mountain, so we changed plans again and walked down to Brione (Locarno) on the South side of the Mountain.

Descending through the forests, we pass a couple of mountain hamlets.

Most of the 700m descent is through the Ticino Beech and Chestnut forests.

This interesting boulder along the historical trail is one of the most important rock carvings discovered in the entire Alps, with its 224 carved crosses. Experts are not quite certain about its meaning, probably a way to claim the area as Christian territory.