Mountain Villages of Menzonio and Brontallo in the Lavizzara Valley

Weekend of September 14th and 15th: Two-day Trip to Maggia Valley and Bosco Gurin

After a much too early "dump" of snow (in some places up to 80 cm) at elevations of as low as 1400 meters, we had a hard time deciding where to go on this weekend. Both Valais (Wallis) and Ticino promised sunshine, but it was in the Ticino where we could still do a snow-free hike at higher elevations. We knew that there were warnings for heavy winds in the Ticino for several days at the end of the week, but they were supposed to abate by Saturday afternoon, and basically be non-existent on Sunday. We decided to risk it, but unfortunately the icy north winds we encountered for parts of both days were too intense for me, to the point of being literally painful.

On the first day we travelled to the far back of the Maggia Valley and further into the Lavizzara Valley, to continue along a trail through some mountain villages which we had not managed to visit on a previous trip there in August 2019 (photos HERE), and after the day's hike, take the last bus into the remote western valley of Bosco Gurin, where we would spend the night at a guest house in Linescio, where we had also once spent the night on our only other hike in that valley in 2014 (Photos HERE). 

For the 450-meter climb up the hill from the start of our hike in Menzonio to the small hamlet of Scinghiöra, we had sunshine and little wind as we were walking through the forest. Then on our descent to Brontallo and ultimately to the Maggia River below, the wind was so strong we were almost blown over! The final section through the forest to Bignasco was actually the best part of the hike, as the winds had died down and even though the forest was strewn with downed branches, we didn't get hit by any!

Crossing the Maggia River on our way up the Maggia Valley. Forecast was for sunshine, but we barely had any this day. 

Here at Bignasco we had to wait for a connecting bus up into the Lavizzara Valley (a 20-minute ride to Menzonio, where we were starting our hike). The bus left at 10:15, but Urs wanted to make sure we didn't miss it, so we left home 30 minutes earlier than necessary (6:41) and then had to wait around in the biting icy wind. (The bus came early, but the driver did not let us in, which I thought was mean). I was dressed too lightly for the amount of wind, and had to dig out Urs' sweater from the backpack... fortunately he brought one along!

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The bus takes a detour to Brontallo, which we passed through later on our walk.

From there it returned to the main road and headed up the mountain again at Menzonio

At 10:40 in Menzonio where we started our hike.... fortunately there was no wind here, as the hillside was protected. 

At 10:40 in Menzonio where we started our hike.... fortunately there was no wind here, as the hillside was protected. This is where we had ended our other hike in 2019 (photos HERE). The small church and shrine here were right near the bus stop.

First we walked around Menzonio at bit, looking at the houses. There was no wind here, fortunately. 

The main church in Menzonio (Saints James and Phillip) was rebuilt in the second half of the 16th Century, although there was a church here since the Middle Ages. 

Interior of the church in Menzonio

Heading off on our hike up the mountain now, with a look down on the roofs of Menzonio

Across the Lavizzara Valley to the east, there was some sunshine on the fantastic mountains there. 

At 11 a.m. we headed up through the forest from Menzonio to Scinghiöra, a steep but easy ascent. From Scinghiöra we then descended via Brontallo to the Maggia River, crossed there, and walked to Bignasco, where we arrived at 5 p.m. and took the 17:15 bus for the four-minute ride to Cevio (junction of the Bosco Gurin Valley). On the map, the riverside trail to the northeast is closed due to storm damage, but this did not affect our plans. 

All over Canton Ticino are these HUGE and gnarly chestnut trees in the forests.

We did have some sunshine here in the northern part of the Maggia Valley, and the mountains were spectacular. 

Along the trail up the mountain (a 400-meter elevation that took us just over an hour), we passed several of these small rustico buildings, and a forest shrine. 

Heading up the steep forest trail was actually enjoyable, as there was no wind here. 

With my luck, in the one single clearing in the forest in all the valley, they were mowing the grass, two of them, with noisy weed-whackers! I say they always know when I am coming, and start up the noise when I am nearby!

Urs caught sight of a Western Emerald Lizard. We always hope to come across these large lizards in the forests in Canton Ticino. 

We got to the clearing called La Mondada at 12:10. We still had to continue uphill from here a bit. 

From above the forest, a look at the mountains on the east side of the Lavizzara Valley. 

We were happy about the sunshine here!

We found a spot on a wall near a barn to eat our sandwiches, and this was the view we had!

Behind me is the barn where we sat for our picnic lunch. We are now headed to the next hamlet called Scinghiöra, an eight-minute walk along a paved road! The mountains at the back of the valley are fantastic!

Close-up look at the mountains at the back of the Lavizzara Valley. 

Hamlet of Scinghiöra

We had heard the goats' bells, and then found them all peeking at us in this spot between the two houses. 

Look at all these cute goats! That Billy Goat was a big one!

Watching the goats come down between the houses. 

These goats roam the hillsides wherever they want to!

The goats were quite curious about us. Also, that stone fountain is pretty impressive. 

Here in Scinghiöra someone has converted two of these lovely Rustici houses into small "apartments" that are rented out for accommodation (they have a website HERE). We went right to the end of the trail where they have a small "restaurant" (called a Grotto) and terrace. 

View of the little plateau below Scinghiöra where we are walking to next, on the way to Brontallo. The small hamlet above the church is called Margonègia. 

The owner of the Grotto came out to see if he could offer us something to eat or drink. We would have stayed, but the sky became overcast and it looked like we might lose the sunshine before we made it to Brontallo, so we decided to carry on with our walk. 

Our view as we head down toward Margonègia

That is ONE HUGE BOULDER! Can you imagine it breaking off the mountain and rolling down the hillside?

A look at the roofs of Margonègia.

There are always interesting buildings to look at along the way. 

We still had some sunshine as we got here to Margonègia, but soon the wind picked up. 

The 18th-Century chapel in Margonègia is dedicated to Sant'Antonio of Padua. 

Heading down toward the little chapel, the wind had picked up considerably, and it was very uncomfortable. Above me on the mountainside you can see the small hamlet of Scinghiöra, where we descended from. 

The 18th-Century chapel in Margonègia is dedicated to Sant'Antonio of Padua. 

 A look back through the cluster of homes we passed through after descending from the chapel. 

Here there was a look-out point and a bench where we sat for a while, despite the wind. The view is down the Lavizzara Valley beyond the roofs of Brontallo, to Bignasco at the junction of the Maggia (on the left) and Bavona (on the right) Valleys. Our ultimate goal is to walk to Bignasco parallel to the river through the forest on the left (after descending from Brontallo). 

From above, views of the village, the church and the cemetery in Brontallo. 

All these stone-panelled roofs are intriguing. 

Entering the village of Brontallo. Brontallo is the first village in the lower Lavizzara Valley, and there are several interesting sites in the small village, all marked with information panels. 

One of the interesting sites in the village is the supposedly oldest house, marked on the side with a date of 1578.

Other sites which we had a quick look at were the town's public oven and wine press. The press dates from at least 1793 and was in operation till mid 1960's. The wooden beam is 6 meters long and fills the entire building! The village oven was also used till the mid 1940's to bake rye bread. 

A look across the roofs at the parish church steeple, which we passed later on our way down to the river. 

Reading up about the interesting features of the village, such as the town fountain. But most significant in this village are the many stalls which have over the years been converted into little modern homes. 

The town washing trough was built in 1891 and was used by the public to wash clothes until 1960.

Heading back through the village past all the pretty converted stalls. 

Past the roofs you can see part of the terraced vineyards. These are the highest elevation vineyards in Canton Ticino, and the use of the village press till the mid 1960's is testament of the success of the growth of the grapes this far north. 

Now we're back at the parish church called San Giorgio, built in the 17th Century, although there was a church dedicated to San Giorgio here at least since 1496. 

Interior of the San Giorgio parish church of Brontallo.

Details of the San Giorgio Parish church including a lovel wood-panel ceiling. The small bonehouse next to the church is one of the oldest buildings in the Maggia Valley and contains important renaissance frescoes. 

Looking down into the Lavizzara Valley where we are headed. 

Heading down the hill now toward the Maggia River. The wind was blowing quite strongly at this point of our walk as well. 

Steep valley through which the Maggia River flows. 

A lovely stone bridge over the Maggia River. 

Bridge over Maggia River

It was still windy as we continued along the east side of the river through the forest to Bignasco, and there were a lot of fallen branches on the trail. But the wind had died down quite a bit, and we did not get accosted by any falling debris. 

A look up at the village of Brontallo from the opposite side of the river.

About half-way between crossing the river and arriving at the town of Bignasco, we passed through another small hamlet in a clearing. This is called Presa di Dentro. It is part of a project to restore old chestnut orchards. 

That house has an interesting balcony with no railing!!!

Restored homes in a mountain hamlet.

These old chestnut tree trunks are still growing even though the trunks are totally empty!

How many ears are on this photo??!!

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The donkeys are following the people ahead of us.

A look at the town of Bignasco at the junction of the Lavizzara Valley where we are coming from, and the Bavona Valley to the East. Due to very severe storms and heavy rains in June of this year, the entire valley is closed both to vehicle traffic and to hikers. The Maggia River was also so full of water that an important vehicle bridge further down valley was swept away. We are so glad that we had a chance to walk down this beautiful valley in May 2016 (those photos are HERE)

We got to the next bridge over the Maggia River in Bignasco at 5 p.m. Originally I had thought we could walk the additional hour to Cevio (for our bus into the Bosco Gurin Valley). The last bus from there was at 6:15 p.m., so we would have made it, but we figured we'd walked enough by now. So we took the next bus from here at 5:15 p.m. for the four-minute ride to Cevio. 

Crossing the Maggia River at Bignasco

Another look back at the parish church of San Michele Arcangelo (Archangel Michael). We did stop by to look inside, but it was very dark and not good for making photos. We caught the bus from here at 5:15 p.m. 

This is what our hike looks like on Google Satellite Maps. 

These are all the hikes we have now done is the various side valleys at the very back end of the Maggia Valley. 

At the village of Cevio, just a couple of kilometers south of Bignasco, we have to wait for the final bus into the Bosco Gurin Valley. So we went to have a look for a restaurant where we could order a take-away pizza. (Usually 5:30 p.m. is too early to fire up the pizza ovens, but we found a restaurant who were willing to make us a take-away pizza). 

Enjoying our pizza in the very pretty village of Cevio. (We had a chance to discover this town better in 2019 when we spent a night here on a two-day trip to discover two of these side valleys. Photos are HERE). 

A good place to enjoy our pizza before catching the bus into the Bosco Gurin Valley to our accommodation in Linescio. (A 12-minute bus ride up a steep hillside on a road with many hairpin turns!)

The place where we spent the night was called "Guesthouse by Wild" in Linescio. It is an old house and very basic, but also reasonably priced. We had stayed here on our 2014 hike down this valley, and thought it was a pretty good deal. (The owner isn't usually present when you check in, so you just go look for your reserved room based on this room map!!). Unfortunately this time a large group of people from a wedding were also staying here, and they made a lot of noise when they came in at midnight. 

The view from our hostel window to the east into the Maggia Valley! Finally a bit of sunshine just before the sun set. But it was a promise for sunshine for the next day. 

The owner of the hostel, Pablo, didn't want to get up as early as we did, so he set the table for breakfast for us, including his homemade bread. So we helped ourselves to breakfast at 8 a.m. in the morning. 

Those windows is where our room was in the hostel in Linescio. Sunday morning dawned with the sunshine we were hoping for, for the second hike we had planned in the back of the Bosco Gurin Valley. 

This map shows all hiking trails in the side valleys at the back of the Maggia Valley, which have been closed since end of June due to damage from massive storms. We have walked several of these side valleys in the past years, and fortunately the trails we wanted to do this day at the front of the Lavizzara Valley were not part of the damaged and closed trails. 

Location of the valleys at the back of the Maggia Valley.