On the “Via della Vose”, the old Mule Trail from Loco to Intragna

March 1, 2017 -- In the Middle Ages, the old mule trail “Via delle Vose” was the only road connecting the villages of the wild and steep Onsernone Valley with the harbour and markets at Ascona and Locarno on Lake Maggiore, where the residents traded their goods (mostly hats and baskets made of straw) for items they required for everyday life in the remote valley.

This historical trail is paved with stones across the entire 6 km from Loco to Intragna, an impressive undertaking as this was all done by hand along very steep mountainsides. It is extremely sobering to realize that in our day and age, we can easily travel three hours with public transport on our day off to walk a 6-km trail that hundreds of years ago was a lifeline for the residents of this area.

After the always breathtaking bus ride into the valley, we started our hike in the village of Loco, descending the terraced hillside where a unique organic wine is produced, and then crossing the Isorno River at the bottom. As far back as the 16th century, there was an impressive stone bridge across the river, but the bridge was swept away during a storm in 1978 (the river rose 30 meters) and replaced in 2016 by the current architecturally unique modern wood and cement one (by Swiss bridge builder Christian Menn).

The trail then follows the mountain flank high above the steep valley to the village of Intragna, which lies at the entrance to both the valleys Onsernone and Centovalli. The view as you descend into Intragna (with its 65m church tower, the highest tower in the province of Ticino) is always a stunning one as the two rivers meet and make their way to the Maggia Delta on Lago Maggiore....

Bus ride into the wild Onsernone Valley

We started in the village of Loco in the Onsernone Valley, descended to the valley bottom and walked back up to the other side to walk out of the valley. This is how they had to do it 500 years ago or more.

The 6-km trail is fully paved with stone, work done by hand hundreds of years ago.

These are Snowdrops as opposed to the Snowbells we saw last week

Hillside hamlet called Niva, where a 400-year old grape press still exists

Hillside hamlet of Niva near the valley bottom below Loco.

We surprised a couple of Roe Deer in the vineyards

Hillside hamlet of Niva near the valley bottom below Loco.

The dry-stone walls are always fascinating

After descending from Loco and walking through Niva (unique terraced vineyards in this wild valley.... a special organic wine is produced here, and a 400-year-old lever wine press still stands at the far end of the hamlet) we crossed the Isorno River and walked out of the valley on the other side).