Along the Crystal-Clear Waters of the Verzasca River

April 5, 2017 -- On this Wednesday we headed back to the Tessin, one of our favourite places to be. The plan was to finish hiking the Verzasca Valley, of which we had previously done two portions.

We rode the bus to the very last stop in the North of the valley, to the village of Sonogno, another quaint Rustici village of which there are myriads in the Tessin. There's a waterfall just a couple of kilometers up a side valley from there, so we did a detour to visit that first, before heading back and southwards, always following the beautiful Verzasca River to Brione about one-third down the valley.

Brione having been the starting point of one of our previous hikes in this valley, we decided to leave the popular "Sentiero Verzasca" (Verzasca Trail) and head up the hill on the East of the valley for more afternoon sun. The mountains in the Verzasca Valley are very steep, but there are clusters of homes hidden all over the place higher up, something one is rarely aware of down below. Other treasures up here are more waterfalls which descend from the high peaks in series of lovely secluded pools, something to remember on some hot summer day.

The name "Verzasca" comes from "Green Waters" and truly the colour is marvelous and unique. Other highlights of this valley, which we only passed by bus this time, are the massive dam at the entrance of the valley (featured in a James Bond film) and the popular double-arched Roman bridge in Lavertezzo called "Ponte dei Salti"... i.e. the "Bridges of Jumps", which fittingly is a popular place to take the 14m plunge into the icy crystal-clear waters below.

Heading northwards into the Verzasca Valley by bus

Checking out the village of Sonogno before heading to the waterfall in the Redorta Valley

Another quaint Ticino village: Sonogno

A little detour into the Redorta Valley to see the waterfall

In the Redorta Valley, looking East toward Sonogno

Crossing the Redorta River, looking up the valley to the West

The waterfall in the Redorta Valley near Sonogno.

Our little 2.5-km detour via the waterfall near Sonogno

Heading back East to Sonogno along the hillside, then South into the Verzasca Valley

After the 2.5-km detour to the waterfall, we headed South and walked another 8 km to Brione, and then another 3 km to Motta via the uphill route.

Hiking along the Verzasca "Green" River

Scattering of villages along the Verzasca Valley

This is a special breed of goats called "Nera Verzasca" (Black Verzasca), an old breed from this area, robust, freedom-loving, acclimatized to both cold and heat, searches its own food in the wild hillsides, beloved for its shiny fur and high milk volume.

Stop for lunch on the banks of the Verzasca River. It was overcast and cold until early afternoon.

Always there are stone walls and stone buildings along the way.

Along the Verzasca Valley Trail "Sentiero Verzasca"

(As a side note: About 30 years years ago I walked up those mountains starting at the base of the hill in the center, across its flank to the left, across the ridge top left, behind the central peak to the saddle on the right, and down the dip to the valley bottom on the right. It was a grueling approx. 10-hour hike completed in the dark by moonlight, and I would never attempt this again in one day... or maybe ever)