On the Via Gottardo Trail again, from Lodrino to Biasca on the Ticino Side

Thursday November 27, 2025 -- It's still very cold in the north, and lots of sunshine in the south, so on the spur of the moment I headed toward Bellinzona and Biasca, which is just a two-hour trip to milder temperatures (about 9 degrees) for a short walk of 10 kilometers.

Since I keep track of all our hikes on Google Earth Maps, I like to connect trails from where we ended and started previous trails, and there was one rather monotonous stretch along the Ticino River between Lodrino and Biasca in the "Riviera" part of the valley, connecting where we left off on our (similar) December 2023 walk along the Ticino River, and ending in the city of Biasca. This is another section of the National Trail no.7: "Via Gottardo" of which we have done several sections, but the maximum amount of time I can spend walking along the river. (For me, this is much more tiring than 4 hours of mountain trails).

I started at 11:15 at the former train station in Cresciano, and ended in Biasca at about 2 p.m., just as this city was starting to be thrown into the shadow of the steep western mountains there. Winter walks in the sunshine are difficult to calculate in this part of the Ticino River Valley, and I should have started at least an hour earlier for better sunshine. Returning to Bellinzona by train, I could have spent some more time in the sunshine there, which lasts until about 4 p.m., but after this 2½-hour walk I was ready to head back home (just a 90-minute trip).!

PART I -- Snow in our region... The landscape was beautiful, and on the way south, I almost changed plans as the landscape was beautiful! In retrospect, I could have done a very nice walk somewhere here at lake level, with gorgeous views of the freshly-fallen snow!

Passing Mt. Rigi at the south end of Lake Zug. The snow-cover tooks fabulous, especially where it ends so suddenly!

And here we are near the city of Schwyz. I could have done a nice walk along the cleared roads, but actually, I wasn't sure how cold it would be. 

Fantastic Mythen Mountains

Close-up look at the Grosser Mythen Peak. It was just a few weeks earlier that I walked down to the city of Schwyz through the clearings on the bottom left. 

Later on, near the south end of Lake Uri near Flüelen, another fabulous peak called Gitschen. 

PART II: 10-km Walk from Cresciano/Lodrino to Biasca along the Ticino River

This turned out to be a 10-km and 2½-hour walk, mostly along the Ticino River on a fairly level path. After crossing the bridge at Biasca (in shadow at 1:30 p.m.), the final 1½ kilometers to the train station was along a paved road. I started across the river from Lodrino at 11:15, and just caught the 13:55 train back to Bellinzona (I was a minute too lake, but the conductor waited for me!)

Starting across from the former Cresciano train station (where we had ended a similar walk in December 2023) at 11:15, I first crossed the Ticino River and walked beneath the freeway bridge on my way to Lodrino on the west side of the river. 

A look south down the Ticino River as I cross the bridge on my way to Lodrino. 

A look to the mountains on the east side of the river near Osogna, I can see the little Oratorio della Santa Pieta chapel which we have walked past on two previous hikes on the higher trail (February 2018 and February 2020) 

A view of the snow-covered peaks on the west side of the river, above the village of Lodrino. 

A view up the Ticino River after passing beneath the freeway bridge. 

Here I cross a side stream which enters the Ticino River. View past the freeway bridge to the mountainside above Osogna. 

Up ahead is the parish church of Lodrino. (Back in February 2018, we started and ended a loop tour up the western hillside above Lodrino and the granite quarry just north of here.) A trail marker here indicates that it should take another two hours to walk to Biasca.  

This is the Sant'Ambrogio Church in Lodrino. The church was first mentioned in the 15th Century, although this building is Late Baroque.

Details of the Saint Ambrose church in Lodrino. The Rococo stucco artwork is from the 17th Century, as is the main portal and the fresco of the Nativity above it. The fresco of St.Christopher to the right of the door dates from 1718. 

Panorama view of the inside of the church in Lodrino. (I cannot recall quite clearly, but I don't think we saw the inside of this church last time we were here in 2018, because it was a Sunday and there might have been a church service going on).

I loved the colour inside of this building. 

Just to the north of the village is the Lodrino granite quarry. In February 2018 we started here in the village of Lodrino and hiked a trail above the quarry to three hamlets on this mountainside. 

Now starts the long walk along the Via Gottardo Trail next to the Ticino River. On that February 2018 hike, we also walked here along the river and through the forests back to Lodrino from Iragna, and as there are two parallel trails, I tried walking on the sections we didn't cover last time! 

A long level trail along the Ticino River. The air temperature was pretty mild, so a comfortable (although for me somewhat monotonous) walk. 

Across the river is the very steep Valle Osogna. (There is a trail up into that valley, but less interesting for us, as it's a 900-meter climb through the forest to the first clearing with mountain homes).

Ticino River (looking south), one of Switzerland's major rivers. 

The colour of the river was a clear turquoise. 

Now I get views into the Blenio Valley, which branches off from this valley at Biasca. It is a beautiful valley we have walked many times, and is also the valley that leads up to the Lukmanier Pass. 

I took a small detour off the riverside trail to have a look as this lovely "pond". 

This trail along the river is part of both National Trails no.7: "Via Gottardo", and no.2: "Trans-Swiss Trail". 

Above me to the west, more of the higher, snow-covered peaks come into view. 

A spot along the river for a short break. 

Crossing the bridge over the Ticino River before the final stretch to the train station in Biasca. It is only 1:30 p.m., but this part of the valley is now already in shadow of the steep mountains to the West. 

At this point it was 13:41..... The train leaves at 13:55 and I walked very quickly because I didn't want to wait around for the next train at 14:25 because there was a lot of construction noise. It was all on paved roads from here to the train station, and I walked very quickly..... 

A look southwards down the valley from Biasca

To the northeast, the Blenio Valley (and the Malvaglia side valley) still have lots of sunshine!

But to the northwest, the Leventina Valley is already in shadow. Biasca lies at the junction of the Leventina and Blenio Valleys .

Just short of the train station, you can see the double-waterfalls that Biasca is known for. It's 13:51 and I figured that was more than enough time for the few meters to the platform, but.... there was a detour due to construction, and I just made it to the platform at about 15 seconds before the 13:55 departure, and just wanted to hop into an open door.....

... when a train employee signaled to me that I had to go to the front part of the train! Lucky for me, he opened this door remotely and the train driver waited for me, causing the train to leave a bit later than the scheduled departure! From here the train goes back to Bellinzona, where I take the fast train back home (by 3:45 p.m.!)

This is what my walk along the Ticino River looks like on Google Satellite Maps. Starting where we ended the December 2023 walk, I crossed the river to Lodrino, and then walked along the west side of the river to the bridge at Biasca. 

These are all the hikes we have done in this upper part of what is called the Riviera, near Biasca at the junction of the Blenio and Leventina Valleys. 

By 2:30 p.m., as the fast train north passes by Biasca again, the city is already in shadow. 

PART III -- Winter Scenes North of the Gotthard Tunnel

North of the Gotthard Tunnel, the sun is setting behind Mt. Gitschen at the south end of Lake Uri. 

A glimpse of Mt. Bristen to the south (Zoomed View). 

Heading north along Lake Uri

Beautiful sunshine in Schwyz. These are the peaks of the two Mythen mountains! It might have been a nice walk here in the north after all!

And now the view south over Lake Lauerz as the train arrives in Goldau. 

Location of Biasca within Switzerland. 

Santa Maria in Val Calanca, and a Walk Down into the Mesolcina Valley

Thursday March 27th, 2025 -- For our mid-week walk (the only nice day this week, and in the south only) we had a choice of traveling 3½ hours to good weather in Canton Valais, or two hours in the direction of the Tessin once again, where the forecast was for 20 degrees! We compromised with a slightly longer trip (2½ hours) via Tessin to Santa Maria in the Calanca Valley, which is actually in Canton Graubünden.

The original plan was a 3-hour walk, via a mountain town called Verdabbio back to Castaneda and down to Grono at the bottom of the Mesocco Valley. But after the first steep 350-meter descent through the forest (three deer bounded across our trail!), we changed plans to walk down directly to a different village along a historical mule trail which was recently restored by the incentive of the community of Verdabbio. Also on the way down we inspected a collection of stone houses called Grotti, specially built into the mountainside in order to keep cool, and some of these offer refreshments to hikers in the summer months.

This was the second time we have been to Santa Maria (November 2021), a beautifully situated medieval church with a nearby tower, the remainders of a medieval fortress. The tower steps are a real exciting experience: A narrow and dark stairway with stone steps of various heights, and adjoining "living" spaces to explore. 

Even though it was a short walk, we spent four hours in the fresh air with great views, and not as hot as expected. In fact, there was a wind blowing, and sometimes a bit cool. Best thing is, it doesn't take too long for us to get here. (Less than 2½ hours). 

After a 90-minute trip to Bellinzona, we take the bus into the Mesolcina Valley, from where we can see the church of Santa Maria and the castle tower where we are headed to start our walk. This is at the entrance of the Calanca Valley, and we have to switch to a separate bus. 

We were the only passengers in the bus for the 20-minute bus ride from Grono to Santa Maria

A look down at Grono in the Mesolcina Valley as the bus heads up into the side-valley called Val Calanca. (Even though this side valley is very close to Bellinzona in Canton Ticino, we are now located in Canton Graubünden). 

Beautiful concrete arched bridge over the Calanca Valley. The bus crosses here before heading up the mountain on the right. 

Just before the final bus stop, the driver stopped the bus here and suggested I take a photo, as it's a really good photo spot! He was quite right!

At 11:40 we were on our way up to have another look at the Santa Maria Church. (When we were here last time, it was late afternoon in winter and getting quite dark). 

Next to the church is this restaurant, and there was a good deal on Cordon-Bleu with French Fries, so we considered stopping here for lunch, but then it would have been too late to go on our planned hike. 

That is a humungous tree!

The church of Santa Maria Assunta in Calanca. Parts of the church are older than 1000 years, but most of the expansions took place in the early 15th Century. (The tower is up on the hill to the left). 

Front entrance of Santa Maria Assunta church. This portal was decorated in 1606.

The interior of the church had a magnificent wooden ceiling, and lots of stucco sculpture work. 

Most of the artwork was done in 1628. 

Lots of detail of the artwork inside the church.

The back part of the church, i.e the entrance. 

From the church grounds we can watch our bus heading back down the mountain. 

We remember it was fun going up the tower last time, so it's worth another climb!

Opening hours of tower access: Children under 16 have to be accompanied by an adult, and accessing the tower is at your own risk....

The narrow stone steps wound around the square tower. It was quite dark, and some of the steps were much higher than others!

There was access through narrow doorways to a couple of rooms inside the tower. This is the tower of what used to be a fortified complex dating from the 13th or 14th Century

The view of the mountains in the Mesolcina (Misox) Valley from the top of the tower. 

And this is the view up the Mesolcina Valley! (The river that runs down from the San Bernardino Pass is called the Moesa). Last time we were here, this whole valley was already in shadow at about 3 p.m. 

From here we can see the snow-covered peaks of the Monte Tamaro Range near Locarno to the west. 

A look down at the church bell tower from the top of the fortress tower. On the right on that sunny plateau is a town called Castaneda, which we were originally going to circle back to before changing plans along the way. (And on the left at the arrow is a bench where we sat and had our picnic lunch!)

Stopping in another side room on the way down. Between the windows, it looks like there might have been a place for a fire, with a vent (chimney) above it. 

Heading down to the bench for our picnic lunch at 12:20. 

This is the bench where we sat for a while and had our picnic lunch before starting on our hike. 

Back in 2020 (photos HERE) we descended to Santa Maria from the hills above, and this is a view of the complex from above. 

Originally we were going to do a three-hour hike down to Verdabbio, returning to Castaneda but we decided to walk down the old mule trail to Cama and the Grotti. We started on our walk in Santa Maria at 12:40, and caught the bus in Leggia at 4 p.m. for the 2-hour trip home. 

A cute little bird, which I think is a female Black Redstart. 

On our 40-minute walk down the mountain to the town of Verdabbio, we spooked some deer (we saw three of them) which jumped across the trail and raced down the steep forest hillside. 

Our first look at Verdabbio. 

Walking along the cobblestone road into the village of Verdabbio. 

This huge bush is Rosemary! I have never seen rosemary as such a large bush!

From the village church, a look down at the valley basin of the Moesa River and the beautiful mountains. (Until just recently, the hiking trails in these side valleys were off-limits due to the major damage caused by massive landslides due to too much rain last year.) 

A quick look into the village church. The San Pietro parish church was built in 1631 in Baroque style. 

Originally we were going to walk back up through the forest to Castaneda, but there were brochures here describing an ancient mule trail (at least seven centuries old) recently renovated, directly to valley bottom here. So we decided to follow that instead. 

There were several of these shrines along the old mule trail, also renovated. 

The old mule trail has been in existence since at least the 14th Century, having first been mentioned in documents of 1384 as an important access route from the valley bottom to the mountain villages. The road is listed in the national registry of Historical Swiss Routes. Other than the recent renovations, the trail remains practically unchanged over several centuries.  

Early spring butterfly!

The shrine on this prominent rock is called "Capèla di Piét". 

We are loving finally seeing the blossoms and the greening of the countryside. 

Apparently this is now part of Trail no.733: Via San Bernardino, which runs down the length of the Mesolcina Valley from the San Bernardino Pass. We have done a couple of other stretches of this trail, namely from the village of San Bernardino to the town of Mesocco (June 2022) and most recently, starting from Mesocco and walking along the former railway line for 10 km to Cabbiolo (December 2024)

In Cama, near the valley bottom, we got to the collection of historical "Grotti". These little stone houses are built on the site of a large historical landslide. The general feature of a grotto is that it is built around an aperture from which a steady stream of cold air issues. This keeps a moderate temperature for storing cheese, fruits, wine and cured meats. In this village are several types of buildings: Some are like cellars, completely underground, and others are half-and-half. Some are private residences, and three of them are open to the public. In summer, these are run as small restaurants offering beverages and light meals. 

Entering the Cama Grotti hamlet from the north side.

There were several information placards explaining how these kinds of buildings came about: Location, use, building materials. Unfortunately, the three Grotti which are open to the public operate only in summer, serving refreshments and local specialties. 

We climbed up through the village to look down over the rooftops. Each property has at least one stone picnic table!

At the main square in the Grotti village, there is one of the "restaurants". The sign seemed to indicate that the restaurant would be open, and we would have stopped there for refreshments. But there was no one around. So we just used one of the picnic tables (lower right) for our own coffee break.  

Taking a break at someone's stone picnic table in the Grotto village!

A look behind us as we leave the collection of Grotti and head southward to the local church in Cama. 

The church in Cama (San Maurizio) looked interesting, but it was actually closed for renovations. A worker had just opened the door and let us have a quick look inside. It has a Baroque style, although the church was first mentioned in documents of 1219. As was mostly the case with all these churches, many changes took place since then.  

The cemetery at San Maurizio

A look behind us at the bell tower of San Maurizio and the mountains of the Mesolcina Valley, as we continue southwards toward Leggia. 

The beautiful magnolias are currently in full bloom. 

The beautiful magnolias are currently in full bloom. 

Our plan is to end our short walk here in Leggia, on the main road below the church, which unfortunately was locked. 

There used to be a railway line here in the Mesolcina Valley (discontinued in 2013), but the original railway stations still stand. We had about 10 minutes before the 4 p.m. bus, so we took a small detour along the main street to have a closer look at the former Leggia train station (now a private residence).

The former Leggia train station. There was a railway line passing through here operating between 1907 and 1978, discontinued in 2013. (We walked a large section of this former railway line in December of 2024, those photos are HERE). 

The red line is the road from Grono in the Mesolcina Valley, up into the Calanca Valley and to Santa Maria (a "private" bus ride for us!). The blue trail is the short walk we did from Santa Maria back down into the Mesolcina Valley via Verdabbio and the historical mule trail. 

These are all the hikes we have done in the area around Val Calanca. The mountain range between the Riviera Valley and the Calanca Valley forms the border between Canton Ticino on the west, and Canton Graubünden on the east. 

Heading by bus from Leggia back to Castione (at the junction of the Riviera and Mesolcina Valleys), we get more looks at Sant Maria high above the valley. This is a zoomed shot. In all, it was a 2-hour trip home. 

The bus passes through the town of Roveredo and across the Moesa River. This is a final look up the Valle Mesolcina. 

These are all the hikes we have done in the area around Val Calanca. The mountain range between the Riviera Valley and the Calanca Valley forms the border between Canton Ticino on the west, and Canton Graubünden on the east. 

I always love this view up the Riviera Valley from the overpass at the Bellinzona railway station, with the small Claro Monastery perched on the hillside below Pizzo di Claro (the main mountain there.)

On the train trip back to the north, we also always enjoy this view of the Blenio Valley at Biasca, before the train enters the longest railway tunnel in the world (Gotthard tunnel). 

Location of the Valle Mesolcina in Canton Graubünden near Bellinzona.