Luca In The Alps

Overview Location : Monte Carasso, Ticino, Switzerland Starting altitude : 600 m (Curzùtt, mid-station of the lift) Distance : 5.4 km Elevation gain/loss : 400 m Duration : Under 2 hours Difficulty : Easy to moderate; vertiginous bridge crossing Highlights : Traditional stone hamlet of Curzùtt San Bernardo church with frescoes 270-meter-long Tibetan suspension bridge (Ponte Tibetano) Download GPS file I hesitated to put the "historical" tag on this hike since it follows old mule tracks . But let's start from the beginning. The base for this hike is Monte Carasso , located in Ticino , the Italian-speaking part of Switzerland. Ticino always feels like a strange and fascinating place to me — very different from the rest of Switzerland in language, architecture, and culture, yet definitely not Italy either! Monte Carasso is actually a neighborhood of Bellinzona  (which is definitely worth visiting on its own for its castles ) . You’ll find a cab...

This hike is actually two hikes that you can do separately — or connect if you have enough time and energy. The first one is Il Sentiero dell'Olivo , which goes from a parking area just outside Lugano to Gandria, a former fishing village along the lake. The path is mostly flat with some gentle ups and downs. It’s a wide paved or gravel trail that offers great views of the lake, and there are informational panels along the way about the area's history. The last part of the hike leads through Gandria itself, where you’ll find ancient staircases, stone arches, and charming little cafés. We ended our hike near the restaurant Le Bucce di Gandria on the main road. From there, we simply went back. It’s about 2 km and 30 minutes one way (or closer to 45 minutes if you stop to take lots of photos, like we did). A more challenging option would be to cross the road and continue uphill to Monte Bré. About 1 hour and 15 minutes and 450 meters of elevation gain will get you to the beginning...