Shade and Chestnuts in the Morobbia Valley

Wednesday October 12, 2016 -- It got cold here recently, and it snowed down quite low, but this Wednesday proved lovely and sunny but cold most everywhere, so we headed South in the hopes of slightly warmer weather. But the tour we had planned was on the North flank of a mountain, and until you get there and see the dark, dark shadiness, you don't realize how narrow the Ticino Valleys are and how the sun doesn't reach very far into the valley already in October....

We tackled it anyway but it was depressing to hike in the cold dark chestnut forests whilst admiring the sunshine on the opposite side of the valley, so instead of finishing the hike on the North flank, we crossed over to the sunny side and finished our three-hour hike out of the valley much happier.... It did mean hiking down into the valley and back up the other side, twice. It was a good exercise to test out my new hiking boots (no sore feet, yeah!).

(Note: We were in this valley for the first time in June of this year. Those photos are HERE.)

Heading into the Morobbia Valley by bus, you get a superb view of the Magadino Plain toward Locarno with the snow low on the mountains, and all that sunshine!

The starting point of our hike in Vellano, looking South to the shady forests that we are heading to, after first descending into the valley to the dam.

Vellano in the Morobbia Valley, Switzerland.

Vellano in the Morobbia Valley, Switzerland.

The Piazza in Vellano in the Morobbia Valley, Switzerland. From here we head to the bottom of the valley.

At the bottom of the valley is the dam. The lake was completely in shadow. Looking West you can see how narrow the valley is, and the south side of the valley (which we are ascending) is all in shadow.

Back up on the hill are the summer homes, they can only be accessed on foot. Each little cluster of homes had a telephone booth. This was so they would not be totally cut off from the outside.

We are hiking Westward back to Giubiasco in the Magadino Plain, on the shady side!

This is the only little piece of sun I got in 1½ hours of hiking!

  

Right about here I said "enough"! I want to go back across to the sunshine! Which meant hiking back down to the river again.

Half-way down we found a sunny plateau for our lunch. Looking eastward, the dammed lake is right about center of the photo.

This little cluster of homes also has a phone booth!

This area is chestnut forests, and the chestnuts are ripe and falling as we walk. I stuffed my pockets full....

And this is what I brought home. Just have to figure out what to do with them.

Back down at the river we are in shadow again, before heading back into the sunshiny village of Pianezzo.

These stone bridges are called Roman Bridges, not because they were built in Roman times, but built the way the Romans used to. Lovely bridges. 

And finally back in the sun, not regretting leaving the dark side of the valley.

Last couple of kilometers to Giubiasco where we catch the train back home.

Looking North to the next community, this is one of the three beautiful castles of Bellinzona. It is called Castel Grande. 

Looking North to the next community, this is another of the three beautiful castles of Bellinzona: Castello di Montebello. 

Looking North to the next community, this is another of the three beautiful castles of Bellinzona: Castello di Sasso Corbaro.

Our 10-km hike from Vellano in the Morobbia Valley to Giubiasco, as viewed on Google Satellite Maps. 

Valle Morobbia near Bellinzona in Canton Ticino

 (This post published on February 26, 2023) 

Sunday June 12, 2016 – Despite the seemingly incessant amount of rain these past few weeks we were able to find a dry and rain-free spot near Bellinzona, a side valley we had never been to before, called Valle Morobbia. 

Switzerland has 65,000 km of officially-marked and maintained hiking trails, but for this hike we mapped out a route consisting of “unofficial” trails, which in this wild area might not have been the best idea, as we ended up having to cross several areas where slopes had slipped and where streams were running high. But it was an adventure and as always, the landscape in these side valleys in the Ticino is stunning. 

We started at one of the little villages uphill of the road (Melirolo), walking from village to village at the back of the valley, down into the gorge, up through the forests (losing the path a few times), back down to the dammed lake and then uphill to a few more villages. 12 km, 4½ hours, but with a couple of rest stops in between, this kind of hiking doesn’t wear me out. 

Note: Just one week after this hike, massive rains had filled the rivers to overflowing, and made the steep slopes in the area unstable.

(Later: We did do another excursion in Valle Morobbia in October of the same year, starting in Vellano and walking down to the dam, and up the other side, but heading west from there. Those photos are HERE).

A view over the Magadino Plain as we head into the Morobbia Valley by bus

A look across at the other side of the valley. We did end up walking to the clearing on the left, and descended to the dam from there. 

We began our hike in the village of Melirolo, a steep 15-minute uphill climb from the bus stop. From there each village is only a 15-minute walk apart. This was a pretty long hike for us, almost five hours! We started at about 10 a.m.

A different kind of cow watching us climb up to the village of Melirolo

We are pretty far back in the valley. This is the view out of the valley toward the Magadino Plain

Discovering the alleyways of Melirolo before descending back to the road. Here someone was making some very nice metal artwork. 

So cute, the "Hen & Chicks" succulents growing out of the stone wall....

Next stop: Village of Melera back down on the road. The bus passes through here as well, as we are not quite at the back of the valley. 

A good way to save on dog-food!

A look back at Melera before continuing along the paved road to the final village at the back of the valley. 

Here is where the paved road stops, in Carena, which used to have a customs check-point before crossing the mountains into Italy. The bus goes this far back into the valley. 

Houses in Carena

The rain sure made the vegetation grow lush and green

The last house along the forest trail before we got to the river at the bottom of the valley. 

Lunch break down at the Morobbia River at about 11:30

Lovely arched Roman Bridge over the Morobbia River. 

Heading down the valley again on the south side of the river. 

Making our way through the forest in parts where there was no path. Fortunately we were able to orient by GPS, but if you go off trail even a bit, you have a steep hillside to scramble up or down on. 

Several of these "Golden Chain-Tree" bushes in the forest, made for some nice yellow colour

Still finding our way across "unofficial", or little-used trails (they WERE marked on the map)

Finally reached the clearing at Monti Moneda where we were able to rejoin the official trail back down to the valley bottom again, to the dam and small lake

At Monti di Moneda, we got a look across the valley to the villages we visited at the start of our hike. 

A 300-m and 30-minute descent to the Carmena Dam, which we crossed, and then followed a trail to the back of the lake, where he had another break.

Taking a break at the back of the reservoir lake

From the dam we had another climb to the road (where the bus runs). The plan was first to visit the village of Carmena, but we missed the place where the direct trail left the path, so we went to the further village of Vellano first. 

It took about 30 minutes to climb from the dam to the village of Vellano. 

Some nice artwork on the houses in Vellano (the owl was from Melirolo)

A look back at the decorated house

Visiting the alleys of Vellano before doubling back to Carmena

Lots of roses and other flowers in the villages and hamlets

Doubling back to Carmena to look at the old church of San Antonio here. 

More nice frescoes.

Up the road a bit to get a look at the San Antonio church from above, before returning along the paved road to Vellano, from where we then walked out of the valley, to the next bus stop at Paudo.

"A cat on a hot tin roof", literally!

Another look to the south side of Valley Morobbia as we now head out of the valley. We could have stopped in Vellano or Carmena and caught the bus from here, but we would have had to wait too long, so we walked for another 45 minutes to the next village of Paudo.

On the way to Paudo, with another fantastic view over the Magadino Plain all the way to Lago Maggiore

Descending to the bus stop at Paudo. As usual, we made it with just a few minutes to spare

Our almost 5-hour walk in the Valley Morobbia

Location of Valle Morobbia in Switzerland

The weather forecast for this day! Even though the forecast was for overcast with a bit of sunshine in the south, it was still better than staying in the rainy North!!!