Excursion with Aunt Ruth to the Remote Village of Indemini

(This post done on December 14, 2021)

Friday September 14, 2018 -- Once in a while, instead of doing a hike, we go on a day's excursion with my Aunt Ruth, to see a part of Switzerland that she is not familiar with. Generally this is some remote valley in the Ticino, as we know of all kinds of neat places off the beaten track there.

On this day we took the long and winding road with the bus from down on Lago Maggiore across from Locarno, up the mountain called Monte Gambarogno, to the furthest community just before the Italian border: Indemini, one of the remotest and most difficult villages to access in Canton Ticino. 

(NOTE: Before the Gotthard Base Tunnel opened in 2017, we were not able to access this village on a day trip. The base tunnel cuts travel time south by about 40 minutes!)

After the one-hour bus ride, we had lunch in the single local restaurant, walked around the old village, discovered a local museum, and returned to the restaurant for dessert.  As we were enjoying dessert, there was some helicopter action in the valley, which always sparks questions of what kind of search might be taking place. Later on we found out that on this very day, on the hills just across from Indemini (in view of our restaurant), an older Italian gentlemen had died while out foraging for mushrooms. He was discovered by hikers on the trail. A trail we were longing to walk on this beautiful day... but that would have been a hard surprise.

More information on this interesting village can be found at this WEBSITE. Of particular note is that it is actually the only Swiss Village in the otherwise Italian valley called Veddasca (to the South), and before the road was built in about 1920 (accessing the village from the North via the Neggia Pass), the only access was on mountain trails. Furthermore, this is the only village in Canton Ticino whose buildings have been built entirely of locally quarried stone. 

NOTE: For some additional very nice photos of the village of Indemini, please also look at the album of the first trip we made there, in May of 2016: CLICK HERE

As the bus heads up Monte Gambarogno from Lago Maggiore, we look down at one of the lakeside villages: Vira, with its two churches

Just a small piece of the 25-km road built in 1920 to basically access the remote mountain village of Indemini, near the border with Italy (the road continues down on the Italian side as well). 

This is a look down at the northern section of Indemini, as we get off the bus (final bus stop on the Swiss side). The village is built on a very steep hillside. 

Here's the restaurant where we had lunch, and returned to for dessert after walking through the village. It's the only open restaurant in the village. 

A selfie of me, Urs and Aunt Ruth at lunch in the Ristorante Indeminese

After lunch we strolled to the South end of the village, where the road crosses into Italy, and into the Veddasca Valley

Chiesa di San Bartolomeo at the very South end of the village of Indemini, just this side of the Italian border. 

Village fountains are always welcome!

Walking back and forth through the very narrow alleyways of Indemini

Alleyways in Indemini

Due to its remoteness and inaccessibility, this village has remained relatively unaltered in the past centuries. 

We discovered a small museum, with old photos about how life used to be in this mountain village

Cool old snowshoes!!!

A look eastward across the valley to the Monte Tamaro (on the left) / Monte Lema range. It was exactly on this forested hillside that hikers found an Italian man (deceased) who had come here to pick mushrooms. 

A sample of some very nice and old architecture here. 

On our way back down the mountain by bus, we got some nice glimpses into the Verzasca Valley and its famous dam, on the North side of Lago Maggiore

Before the 20-km road from the lakeshore was built in 1920, the community of Indemini was accessible only via mountain trails. 

On Google Satellite maps, what the 20-km road looks like: From lake level, over the Neggia pass, and down to Indemini (the road continues down the Veddasca Valley on the Italian side, back down to the lake). 

NOTE: For some additional very nice photos of the village of Indemini, please also look at the album of the first trip we made there, in May of 2016: CLICK HERE.

Here is just a sample:

Village of Indemini, on the first trip we took here in May 2016

First Trip through the new Gotthard Base Tunnel (To Monte Gambarogno)

December 14, 2016 -- As of December 11, the new 57-km Gotthard Base Tunnel is open to trips by the public, so what better idea than to use our maiden voyage through the longest train tunnel in the world to go to one of the remotest and hardest-to-reach places in the Ticino: Indemini near the Italian border, and a hike around Monte Gambarogno. As far as kilometers go, this remote valley is not that far from Locarno, but to get there requires a one-hour bus ride along a steep and winding road. 

Till now we could not have done this as a day trip, as there was no connection early enough for us, but the new tunnel cuts our trips down South short by 30-40 minutes, and in this case the connection works in our favour.

The 17-minute trip through the tunnel at 200 km per hour was so smooth you hardly noticed the speed. Plus we left home in the darkness and fog at 6:15, so there wasn't much to see anyway. And once we got to the starting point of our hike at 9:30, we were up in the sunshine while the rest of Northern Switzerland wallowed in thick fog. Yeah for the quicker trips to the South!

The white line is the bus trail; it took over an hour to get to our starting point at Alpe di Neggia. We hiked first to the cross, then to the highest point on Monte Gambarogno, then down to a mountain farm where in summer you can buy cheese and other products made on the farm. Next stop where we had lunch was the Oratorio Sant'Anna whose origins date from the 14th or 15th century, and whose hermit rooms have been converted into a hostel. After 3.5 hours' hike we got to our destination of Indemini, the only traditional Ticinese settlement to be built entirely of stone quarried from the site itself. Before heading back home through the super tunnel, we first had a 1hr+bus ride back down again!

Start of our hike at Alpe di Neggia at 9:30 a.m., looking down at Lago Maggiore at the entrance to the Verzasca Valley

Before reaching the summit, we stopped at the cross for some spectacular views of the Maggia Delta (Locarno)

Before reaching the summit, we stopped at the cross for some spectacular views of the Maggia Delta (Locarno)

Heading across the sunny ridge to the summit of Monte Gambarogno

At the summit of Monte Gambarogno, on the border to Italy. The hill at the center is in Italy, and the white peaks on the right are the highest peaks in the Swiss Alps (Dufour Peak and Monte Rosa Massif).

From the summit we head to the West side of Monte Gambarogno, to Alpe Cedullo.

Enjoying the sun and the views

Ticinese Forests

Alpe Cedullo. They have sheep here in summer and you can buy home-made cheese

Oratorio Sant'Anna dates from the 14th-15th centuries. We had a picnic lunch here. 

Oratorio Sant'Anna dates from the 14th-15th centuries. We had a picnic lunch here. 

3½ hours' hike brings us to the village of Indemini.

We were hoping to have a coffee before catching the bus, but the restaurant is closed.

The remote village of Indemini right at the Italian border, clings to the steep hillside.

This is a gas station in a small village! Probably for the bus. (It runs only three times per day)

The new Gotthard Base Tunnel shortens our trips South by 30-40 minutes!

The weather in Northern Switzerland since a couple of weeks already....

Hike from Alpe di Neggia to the Remote Village of Indemini

(Post done on December 14, 2021 -- Note, in the meantime, the Gotthard Base Tunnel has been completed and we can be in this region in an hour less travel time, and there are now good connections for day trips to Indemini)

Last Day of Three-Day trip to Ticino: Indemini

Tuesday May 17, 2016 – For a long time we had wanted to go to the secluded village of Indemini, which you could say is “at the end of the world”, tucked into a steep valley between Monte Lema and Monte Gambarogno near a pass that goes from Switzerland into Italy. There are only four buses per day that travel the 20-km zigzag road (motorcycle heaven!) from Lago Maggiore near Locarno to the little village, which is the final bus stop on the stretch. In fact, just South of Indemini, the road crosses the border and continues down the Veddasca Valley and back down to Lago Maggiore on the Italian side. Indemini is actually at the back of the Veddasca Valley, and is the only Swiss community in that valley.

We were never able to get to Indemini on a day trip, because there is no connection to the bus early enough for us, so since we spent three days in the area, this was a good opportunity for us to finally make the trip to this, one of the remotest and most inaccessible villages in Canton Ticino. (We spent the night in a hostel in Losone near Intragna)

The bus ride from Vira on Lago Maggiore to Indemini takes over an hour, but we got out at Alpe di Neggia, which is the highest point of the trip (over 1400m higher than the lake level) and the pass before the descent toward the Italian side. From the pass we walked along the southern flank of Monte Gambarogno to Indemini, then took the bus back again. 

The village of Indemini consists of seven tiers of houses on the steep hillside, facing the morning sun. Most of the homes are narrow, 5-storey homes, built entirely of locally quarried stone. Until 1917 there was no paved road accessing the remote village. Until then, the inhabitants mostly earned their living smuggling goods across the border. The village incline is so steep that it was really hard work walking up and down the alleys.

From the lakeshore at Locarno, this is a look across the lake to Monte Gambarogno. The bus winds its way up the mountain on the left, toward the "pass" at Alpe di Neggia, where we started our hike along the southern flank of Monte Gambarogno

From San Nazzaro, the road winds for about 20 kilometers and over an hour, over the pass at Alpe di Neggia to Indemini. (End of the line for the bus on the Swiss side, but the road continues down the Veddasca Valley into Italy). Until about 1920, there was no paved road access to the village of Indemini

On the bus ride up the North side of Monte Gambarogno, this is a look at the sunny hillside of Cimetta, with all the suburbs of Locarno

Also on the bus ride up, a look into the popular Verzasca Valley and the renowned Verzasca Dam

We arrived at the pass at Alpe di Neggia at about 9:30 a.m. and admired the fantastic view North down onto Lago Maggiore and the Verzasca Valley. We also stopped to have a cup of coffee at the restaurant here, before starting on our hike. 

The 5-km hike along the South side of Monte Gambarogno was not a long one for us, although challenging enough. Our main goal was to inspect the village of Indemini and have lunch there. 

There were some interesting sections along the trail, where cable hand-holds were necessary

A view of the Mt.Tamaro/Mt.Lema range to the East and South, and the road that continues down to Indemini (This is still in Switzerland). We hiked across that ridge in 2014

An interesting trail

(It looks like Urs is carrying a shopping bag! I believe I had picked up some new hiking shoes while we were on this trip)

Before our descent to Indemini (bottom left), this fabulous view is across the Italian border, down the Veddasca Valley all the way to Lago Maggiore (which is mostly located in Italy anyway)

The first house you reach when you descend into the village of Indemini!

This 5-km hike took us less than two hours to do. We arrived in Indemini before noon, and decided to walk around the village before having lunch in the only restaurant (mainly because there were too many people there at the time). 

Narrow and steep alleyways in the village of Indemini

Some very old houses here. The village, being so remote, has not suffered from a lot of modern construction. 

A view of Indemini from the Northern arm of the village

A  nice time of year with all the wisteria in bloom!

Heading down to the bottom of the village. We'll have to go uphill again to get to the main road and the restaurant!

Parish church of St. Bartholomew at the very South end of the village. Everything else behind that is Italy. 

Returning to the restaurant for our lunch. Ossobuco was on the menu, and we were really looking forward to it!

We had to settle for pasta. We learned something new this day: Restaurants like these cook only a certain amount of the daily special, and when it's gone, it's gone! We should have started with lunch, and done the village tour afterwards! But the pasta was good too....

Heading back toward Alpe di Neggia by bus, on our way back down the mountain. 

One last look at the Maggia Delta across the lake, before we get down to lake level. It's a long way home, so we wanted to get a relatively early start!

From a previous hike which we did in 2014 from Monte Tamaro to Monte Lema, this view is to the West, down toward the village of Indemini. The red line is approximately what we walked .

Location of Indemini near Lago Maggiore and the border to Italy

NOTE: Photos of DAY 1 and DAY 2 of our three-day trip can be viewed HERE and HERE