Returning to the Pastoral Landscape of Luzern: Ruswil to Werthenstein

Wednesday December 28, 2022 -- With this warm spell and all the snow melted in the lowlands, we can do some walking in the agricultural landscapes in our own neighbourhood. 

A very pretty region to walk in is the Luzern Backcountry, where we recently almost completed the second half of the Themed "Luzern Chapel Trail" (photos are HERE), having missed only one chapel of the 17 chapels highlighted on this trail. Also at that time, the mountains were obscured by clouds, so this being a good visibility day, we returned to the area.

As luck would have it, the final chapel in Rüediswil was closed for restoration! Nevertheless, we had good views of the mountains, walked around a lake (Soppisee), and found an even more interesting chapel (probably privately-owned, belonging to a family farm) in a tiny village called Buholz. Our 10-km walk was on relatively level ground and would have been more enjoyable if the recent rains hadn't made the pasture trails all muddy

As I had recently had surgery, we walked much slower than usual. And originally we had planned to visit the former monastery at Werthenstein at the end of the hike, but I was too tired for that. Also, it was quite a cold day, but we had lots of sunshine!

Heading toward Luzern by train, this is a familiar sight on a clear day across from our lake, Lake Zug. Those are the Bernese Alps. 

A couple of the towers on the old Luzern City Wall, as we leave the city by bus heading toward Ruswil

Farm buildings along the way. 

We started our hike in Ruediswil where we ended the previous time, hoping to have a look at the final chapel on the "Luzern Chapel Trail". From there we walked around Lake Soppisee and joined the St.James Trail (No.4) to Werthenstein. Of particular interest was the private chapel in Buholz. 

St. Jost & Wendelin chapel in Rüediswil, built in 1639, apparently has some nice paintings inside, but the chapel is currently undergoing renovations. This was the final chapel on the official "Luzern Chapel Trail" which we still wanted to look at. We started our hike here. 

On this day we really did have a very nice view into the Alps!

South of us is Mt. Pilatus. There were very many sheep in the pastures here. 

This looks like a very specific breed of sheep. I'd have to look it up. 

How cute is this!

Next part of the trail goes around Lake Soppi (or Soppisee). On the other side of the lake, the trail was very muddy. 

With less foliage on the trees, we actually saw more of the lake!

Far to the East a close-up look of St.Ottilien, one of the more interesting chapels on the "Luzern Chapel Trail"

Heading slightly uphill on the west side of Lake Soppisee

Urs and Lake Soppisee

It's always kind of fun when we pass such gardens, whose claim it is to produce herbs for the world-famous Ricola Candies!

Another look south across the beautiful pastures to the snow-covered Alps

Maple or Linden?

There were quite a few interesting things to see in the tiny village called Buholz. 

An old storage barn in Buholz

Of paticular interest was this chapel in Buholz. We think this might have been a private chapel for an old established family from the area

For such a small chapel, there was a lot going on in terms of decoration inside this church. On the lower part of the right and left altar pieces, there were skulls on display, something we had never seen before. 

Details inside the Buholz chapel, including two skulls on display, and a gravestone for a couple with the name of Amrhyn-Faller, probably the forefathers of the people currently living on the farm next to the chapel 

Further along the trail near Buholz was another tiny chapel, with an unusually low door!

For a little over a kilometer we followed this path, which would have been enjoyable if it hadn't been so muddy!

Heading south, with Mt. Pilatus ahead of us

We passed this farm with loads of newly-born lambs, they can't have been more than a day or so old!

Lots of new-born lambs here, the bleating was so loud!

Many interesting old farm houses along the way

Final approach to the town of Werthenstein with the former Monastery high on the hill. By the time we got to valley level, I was too tired to want to go look at the church on the hill.  

The village of Werthenstein. Before catching the train back to Luzern, we had time to go have a closer look at the covered wooden bridge. 

Crossing the covered wooden bridge in Werthenstein. 

Some interesting painted detail. 

It's 3 p.m. now and time to head back home (we started the hike at 11 a.m. in Rüediswil). The river here is the Kleine Emme (Small Emme) River. 

The part of the Luzern Chapel Trail east of Ruswil we did in November, and the northwestern section a year ago. This time we walked to Werthenstein via Lake Soppisee and Buholz, about 9 kilometers. 

Two weeks earlier, on December 13th, we passed through Werthenstein on our way to the Kambly Cookie factory. This is what the monastery looks like from below on a snowy day!

Passing the Werthenstein Monastery on a snowy day in December!

Also, in May 2021 we did another hike starting here in Werthenstein. There are some nice photos of the village from a different angle in my Blog Album from that hike. Those photos are HERE.

Sentiero Collina Alta from Monti della Trinità to Tenero (near Locarno)

Sunday December 18, 2022 -- Our final trip to the Ticino for this year, this was probably a day we should have done a snow hike in the mountains, but we were unsure about the weather above the 700m fog level, so we went to the Ticino again, where it actually wasn't all that warm either! In fact we were going to go very far south to Lugano, but had to make a quick change in plans because the sky was very overcast there.

On the Cardada hillside near Locarno are two popular hiking trails: "Sentiero Collina Alta" and "Sentiero Collina Bassa" (High Hill Trail and Low Hill Trail) which we have walked on previous occasions, but there are always variations and sections we have not yet discovered. So we took a bus up to the fabulous "Madonna del Sasso" church (did not visit it this time as we had been there almost exactly three years ago when we hiked the Sentiero Basso -- Photos are HERE), and walked the High Trail for the third time, but via Monti della Trinità to Tenero, i.e. in the opposite direction from the last two times. 

The mountain trail through the forest still had some snow and ice on shady sections, and we lost sunshine for a while, but with some nice views of Lago Maggiore and the surrounding mountains, we still managed a decent "mountain hike" without too much difficulty. My favourite impressions are the sight of palm trees with snow-covered mountains in the background, and my most annoying part of the day was that the churches I wanted to look inside were locked... and on a Sunday!

A very nice view of Madonna del Sasso Church (Lady of the Rock) above Locarno, as we start on our hike toward Monti della Trinità. We have seen the inside of this church on a previous hike. This is the most important pilgrimage site in Canton Ticino

A lovely painted house in Monti della Trinità

"Church of the Holy Trinity" in Monti della Trinità. There was historical infomation about the church on a placard next to it, but the building was locked. It looked quite nice inside. The building is privately owned, so maybe that is why. 

From here we go uphill to join the "High Hill Trail", and Tenero is our goal. A standard 3+ hour hike for us.

Starting at the Madonna del Sasso church in Orselina, we followed the "High Hill Trail". Here it is also part of regional trail no.74: "Sentiero Verzasca", a 35-km trail from the back of the Verzasca Valley to Locarno, which we have now completed. 

It also sometimes snows down to lake level here in Locarno, and there was still snow and ice on the "High Trail"

Everywhere the juxtaposition of palm trees and snow-covered peaks

It was a very nice forest trail to walk, and a large section here was an educational trail, with loads of information on the variety of trees and bushes that flourish here in the forests. 

According to Urs, these palms here are actually non-native plants originating in China and considered weeds in the forests here. 

More bridges, more ice

The "Sentiero Collina Alta" is also part of Trail no.74: "Sentiero Verzasca"

There was a house here advertised as a rentable vacation home. We checked out the back patio and the view. Not bad! (currently no one was in it). 

Once in a while we got a view of the east end of Lago Maggiore

And this is a view of Locarno, the Maggia Delta and the southern part of Lago Maggiore. Unfortunately, this is where we lost some sunshine. 

Every once in a while we come across a stone building in the forest. This one used to be a church built for devotional purposes in the 17th Century on the daily route from Locarno into the Verzasca Valley.  It is called the "Capella Rotta", ("Broken Chapel"), and legend has it, it was never completed because of the Plague. 

The fresco inside the "Broken Chapel" is from 1630

This anno 1750 "Roman Bridge" is called "El Pont del Sipp", or "Sipp's Bridge". Sipp was the name of a farmer who lived nearby. Before the bridge was build, the locals spanned the ravine with three large chestnut trees laden with stone plates. 

Another look at the entire hillside above Locarno. This hillside usually gets lots of sunshine and there are lots of nice houses in this desirable location!

And this view is across the Magadino Plain to the East, with the beautiful snow-covered mountains. We are now in a community called Costa and starting our descent to Tenero in the valley bottom. 

This is the entrance to the fascinating Verzasca Valley. The mountain is the fabulous Pizzo Vogorno, towering above the lake of the same name (with the famous James Bond Dam)

Heading through Costa on our way down the mountain

A look back at Costa as we head down the mountain

Almost the entire way down the mountain was a long staircase. In the shady sections we had to be careful of ice. 

In this village of Mondacce we join the "Sentiero Collina Bassa" down to Tenero, a section we have done before, in the other direction. There was a cute church here as well, also locked, but we couldn't figure out why. 

Another stunning sight of palm trees and snow. I'm not sure, but I think the mountain is called Camoghe

Below us is the Magadino Plain and Tenero, end of our hike. 

I totally remembered once having passed through this archway, and looked back at my older hike photos. Sure enough, it was from the hike from Tenero on the "Low Hill Road" from 2019! (Those photos HERE)

The church in Tenero. It has a rather modern interior. 

In 2019 we did the "Low Hill Trail" starting in Tenero and walking all the way back down to Locarno. This time we started at the church, walked up the hill and along the "High Hill Trail" back down to Tenero. 

A popular and sun-exposed region for us, that's why we do a lot of hiking here, mainly in winter and early spring!

Also of interest might be the photos of our little loop tour over the Verzasca Dam (in orange) which we did in February 2018, also starting and ending in Tenero, ad passing through Costa as well. PHOTOS HERE