Weekend at the Back of the Maggia Valley. Day 2: The Peccia Valley

(Photos from Day 1 are HERE)

Saturday and Sunday August 17-18:  The second day of our trip (Sunday) dawned much better than expected, as we again made our way to Bignasco (Gateway to the Lavizzara, the name of the entire region here) for the bus to Fusio, which is actually a town at a dammed lake at the very very back of the Maggia Valley. Along the way you have to change into the tiny Van-Bus for the short ride into the Peccia Valley, which was the second "hidden" valley that we had planned to discover this weekend. 

As with all the other valleys here, the steep mountains are breathtaking, and the little villages consisting mainly of stone houses and at least one chapel or church dedicated to the "Madonna", offer lots to see and explore. Plus the clear waters and turquoise pools....

We started with a coffee at the Old Post Restaurant in Piano di Peccia, which in retrospect I wonder if it really is still a restaurant or just an old lady living there who sold us coffee when we asked if we could purchase a macchiato (it was the weakest macchiato I ever had!). After that we visited three villages before descending to the river and following it to where it meets the Maggia River (which comes down from Fusio), then continuing South along the Maggia River (the trail is called Sentiero di Lavizzara) through more forest and villages till we ended up in Menzonio high on the hill above the Lavizzara Valley. Our actual goal was the very last town on this part of the trail, namely Brontallo, but that required another hour of walking, and we would have missed the last bus out of the valley.

So our plan is to come back and finish the trail some other year....

The Bus Ride

It turns out that to get to the back of the Peccia Valley, we had to ride three different buses for an hour from our B&B in Cevio. The bus doesn't simply go straight up the valley, but winds its way on narrow curved streets up to some major villages high up on the hill, namely Brontallo and Menzonio, the final villages on our trip (although we didn't make it to Brontallo). So on the way up we passed by bus through all the villages that we would see on the way down, which is actually a nice alternate perspective....

Early morning light in Cevio where we spent the night. Now waiting for the bus to Bignasco

Narrow winding roads up to the hillside villages. It becomes critical when a vehicle is coming down!

Way down below is Bignasco, at the junction to the two valleys we are exploring this weekend. (The day before we were in the Bavona Valley to the right)

This is Brontallo, the village we didn't make it to

The church in Broglio, from a different perspective as we came toward it from the hillside in the background

Beautiful old church in Broglio

The Village of Sornico, which we also passed through later on foot

Hike down the Peccia Valley

Starting at the final stop of the Van-Bus toward the back of the Peccia Valley, we thought this was a restaurant so we ordered coffee and sat at the lone table. In retrospect, not sure it was a restaurant any more....

The door was open and the sign seemed to indicate it might be a restaurant. Inside were two tables as well

The coffee was very weak, but it was a droll experience

The village of Piano di Peccia at the back of the Peccia Valley

Starting at the back of the Peccia valley, we walked back out through many of the villages we had seen along the way by bus. We had wanted to go all the way to Brontallo, but that would have taken an hour longer.

Village of San Carlo in the Peccia valley, and one of many chapels dedicated to the Madonna. 

Snack Break in Cortignelli

The little chapel in Veia

From here in Veia we walked down from the road through the forest to the river

Continuing along the Maggia River

At the town of Peccia, the Peccia River joins the Maggia River, and we continued through the villages we had seen on the bus ride on the way up the valley...

Lunch time along the Maggia River near Sornico

The village of Sornico, where the bus passed through earlier in the morning

The village of Sornico

Beautiful butterfly called the "Mourning Cloak"

Little chapel in the middle of the forest

Some more clear turquoise pools

Descent to Broglio -- here we searched for a bistro so we could have a REAL coffee, but we couldn't find a single restaurant. From here the trail heads up the hill on the left to Menzonio

The beautiful old church in Broglio, Santa Maria di Loreto, oldest part of the church is from 1487.

This church in Broglio had a beautiful painted wood-panel ceiling, which I really loved. 

To get to Menzonio was a real uphill slog, and it was getting hard for me, after so much walking. Also, I had a larger backpack this time, which really made my back sweat.

Just before Menzonio, a little cluster of houses in a clearing called Pianezza. I really liked it here.

Some lovely new construction in the old style in Pianezza

Menzonio, our final destination. We had to wait for the bus in the parking lot at the center. There was not enough time to continue to the last village of Brontallo, an hour more. 

The main parish church in Menzonio (1585) had some nice sculptural details

The second church in Menzonio, "Oratorio della Vergine" is a rather modern structure, built in 1872

And this entrance.... not sure who that was built for....

And finally, back down in Cavergno (near Bignasco) waiting for the bus for the long ride back to Locarno and home. 

So on this weekend we discovered the Calnègia Valley and the Peccia Valley and more of the Lavizzara. The Bavona Valley we did in 2016, and the one from Bosco Gurin we did in 2014.