The Maggia Valley (or Maiental, ital.: Valle Maggia) is in the Italian-speaking Switzerland in the same name Vallemaggia district of the canton Ticino.
Regions
The Maggia valley consists of the main valley, which branches into many, only partially inhabited valleys in the upper part, and the two side valleys, the Val di Bosco and the Valle di Campo.
places
- Aurigeno - It is off the main road, on the left side of the valley. The parish church of San Bartolomeo with the beautiful frescoes of the choir vault is worth seeing.
- Avegno-Gordevio - Both villages have a very nice appearance. In Gordevio there is the church of Santi Giacomo e Filippo from the 17th century and the ossuary from the 18th century.
- Bignasco - Here the wide Maggia valley ends and the upper, alpine Maggia valley begins. Here the valley branches out. The medieval arched bridge over the Maggia and the campanile of the Church of San Michele are well worth seeing.
- Bosco / Gurin - The only German-speaking community in Ticino. Walser German is spoken here. It is also located at 1506 meters above sea level, making it the highest municipality in Ticino. The houses are mainly made of wood and are dominated by the beautiful church.
- Campo - A collective municipality in Val di Campo. The community is inhabited up to 1405 meters above sea level near Cimalmotto. In Campo there is a beautiful church with baroque paintings. The village of Cimalmotto is made almost entirely of wood and is probably an old Walser settlement.
- Cavergno - This is where the Val Bavona begins. The name is derived from Casa d'inverno (winter house). Here people spent the winter in winter-proof houses.
- Cevio - capital of the valley. There is a beautiful piazza and lots of shopping opportunities. The parish hall with the painted front is absolutely worth seeing. It shows the coat of arms of the Swiss Confederation. A bit away is Cevio Vecchio, also absolutely worth seeing.
- Foroglio - Here the waterfall of the Caneggia river pours into the valley. In the church of Santa Maria Assunta there is a carved winged altar (1553) from southern Germany.
- Fusio - The uppermost village of Val Lavizzara lies at 1281 meters above sea level and has a very beautiful village center made up of old houses. The church of Santa Maria Assunta is also worth seeing. From here you can drive up to the Sambuco reservoir, which is 200 meters above the village.
- Maggia - largest town in the valley, consists of many factions and has a few shops. The important church of Madonna delle Grazie is located here (see below). The old part of the village of Maggia is also well worth seeing.
- Mogno - The main attractions of the place is the church of San Giovanni Battista, the work of the famous architect Mario Botta, which was inaugurated in 1995. In 1986 an avalanche destroyed almost the entire village, including the church.
- Ponte Brolla - Here the Pedemonte ends and the Maggia valley begins. The Maggia has eaten its way through the mountain here and left a ravine behind. There is a connection to the Centovalli Railway.
- Prato-Sornico - There are beautiful patrician houses in Prato and Sornico. Sornico was the old place of justice and here is the court house and in front of it you can still see the old pillory.
- San Carlo (Bavona) - This is where the Bavona valley ends. The village is 938 meters above sea level. In the chapel of La Presa there are frescoes from the 16th century that are worth seeing. A gondola lift takes you up to the Robiei at an altitude of 2000 meters.
- Someo - Here you can see the church of San Eustachio, a baroque church building with the ossuary. Part of the village was destroyed by a rock fall in 1924.
- Sonlerto - There are wonderful rustici here that are close to each other. A little outside the village, the church of Santa Maria delle Grazie of Gannariente stands between fallen boulders. There is a pilgrimage here from Cavergno in May.
Other goals
- Museo di valmaggia. A museum dedicated to the valley. It is in Cevio on the piazza, the main square of the village.
- Walser house Bosco / Gurin. In Bosco / Gurin there is a museum that is housed in an old Walser house and, as the name suggests, is dedicated to the Walser.
- Ponte Brolla gorge. At Ponte Brolla, the Maggia has eaten its way through a rock and has left behind very bizarre rock formations. A 33-meter-long, single-arched Roman bridge spans the gorge.
background
The Maggia Valley was settled by the Celts for the first time. Then came the Romans. In the Middle Ages, the Maggia Valley was first administered by the Milanese, then, from 1513, by the Confederates. The Val Lavizzara was, however, its own bailiwick, in Sornico the court was held. From 1789, the Maggia valley was assigned to the canton of Lugano, which became part of the canton of Ticino in 1803. In 1907 the Maggia Valley Railway was opened, which ran from Locarno to Bignasco. It was shut down in 1965, although there were violent protests against it in the valley.
The Maggia Valley was very much shaped by emigration. People emigrated abroad from the valley as early as the 13th century. In the 15th and 16th centuries, it was mainly seasonal emigration that took place. In the 19th century, Australia and California were the most popular destinations. By 1940 almost half of the valley's inhabitants had emigrated in this way. Mostly young men. So field work in the valley has always weighed on the shoulders of women.
language
In the Maggia Valley, as in all of Ticino, they speak Standard Italian, but also partly the dialect ticinéeswhich is partly similar to the French and also includes nasal sounds.
getting there
By car
From Locarno, which can be reached via the A13 (no vignette required until shortly before Bellinzona), a main road leads to Ponte Brolla. There it branches, whereby the right road (seen from Locarno) leads into the Maggia valley. It is around 4km from Locarno to Ponte Brolla and around 25km to Cevio.
By bus
The FART bus route 65 runs from Locarno train station via Ponte Brolla and Cevio to Bignasco. The line runs every hour. The journey from Locarno train station to Cevio takes around 40-45 minutes.
By boat
You can travel to Locarno by ship. There are direct connections to Luino and Magadino, among others.
mobility
The Maggia Valley and its upper side valleys offer many well-marked hiking trails, but sturdy footwear is very important.
The important one Bus route 315operated by FART, connects Locarno with Maggia, Cevio, Bignasco and Cavergno. This line runs hourly. From Bignasco the post bus line 333 goes to S. Carlo in Val Bavona and the post bus line 334 goes to Fusio in Val Lavizzara. From Cevio the post bus line 331 goes to Cerentino and on to Bosco / Gurnin, from Cerentino the post bus line 332 goes into Val di Campo to Cimalmotto. The post bus lines run very irregularly.
Here are the timetable fields:
- Line 315 Locarno - Ponte Brolla - Maggia - Cevio - Bignasco - Cavegno
- Line 331 Cevio - Linescio - Cerentino - Bosco / Gurin & Line 332 Cerentino - Campo - Cimalmotto
- Line 333 Bignasco - S. Carlo (Bavona) & Line 334 Bignasco - Prato - Sornico - Mogno - Fusio
There is a main road from Locarno via Ponte Brolla to the Maggia valley. At Bignasco the road splits into different valleys. The further up you are, the narrower the road becomes. A road leads over ten hairpin bends from Cevio to Linesco and Cerentino. The road splits there. The left one leads to Campo and Cimalmotto, the right one to Bosco / Gurin.
Tourist Attractions
- Church of San Giovanni. The church of the star architect Mario Botta is in Mogno in the Lavizzara valley. It is made of Cristallina marble and was built in 1997 to replace the old church that was destroyed by an avalanche.
- Sta. Maria del Ponte. This pilgrimage church is in Rovana near Cevio. It dates from 1615 and is a bit overbearing, but has very harmonious stucco work.
- Chapel of Sta. Maria delle Grazie. It is in Campagna near Maggia and is one of the oldest churches in the valley. It has beautiful paintings from 1525-1528.
- Coglio ossuary. In the center of Coglio is the ossuary from the 18th century. The frescoes cover the entire interior of the chapel and deal with the subject of death and the powerlessness of people against death.
activities
- River bathing in the Maggia. The Maggia invites you to swim in many places. The beaches near Avegno, where the river flows a little slower, are the most beautiful. But please note the Warning signs!
- Bignasco swimming pool. The heated swimming pool is in Bignasco, right next to the waterfall. The season starts at the end of June and ends at the end of August.Open: 10 a.m. - 6 p.m.Price: Admission: CHF 8.- for adults and CHF 5.- for young people (up to the age of 18). Children up to 6 years are free.
- San Carlo-Robiei cable car. From mid-June to early October, the cable car runs from the San Carlo valley station to Robei at 1,890 meters above sea level. The journey takes 15 minutes. The cable car runs about every hour.Price: The fare for a return trip is CHF 24.- for an adult and CHF 12.- for a child (6-16 years).
- Lifts and ski area Bosco / Gurin. A chairlift runs from Bosco / Gurin to Rossboda, which is 2000 meters above sea level. There are also day tickets for the ski area in Bosco / Gurin.Price: A return trip costs CHF 12.- for an adult, CHF 8.- for young people and CHF 5.- for children.
- Mogno ski area and ski lift. There is also a cross-country ski run.Open: Sat, Sun on public holidays and on weekdays during the school holidays from 9.30 a.m. to 4.30 p.m.Price: A day ticket costs CHF 16.- for an adult and CHF 12.- for a child. The pony lift costs CHF 5.-.
kitchen
The restaurants in the Maggia Valley mainly offer Ticino specialties and Italian dishes. Mushroom risotto, polenta, Ticino plates (raw ham, salami or salametti, cheese ...) and the piccata milanese (veal schnitzel wrapped in parmesan) are rarely missing on many menu plans. What is produced in the valley are cheese and also pepper with grappa. Salametti is also a typical house specialty.
nightlife
There is not much night life in the valley. On certain Saturdays, however, live music is offered in the Unione restaurant in Cevio, or at least the restaurant is transformed into a bar with music. Otherwise you should go to Locarno. However, the last bus from Locarno leaves at midnight.
security
There is not much crime in the Maggia Valley. The greatest danger is when bathing in the Maggia, see activities, because the water level there can rise very quickly. You should also exercise caution when hiking. Sometimes the trails are very steep and shouldn't be walked when wet! Good shoes are a must!
climate
The climate is similar to that of Lake Maggiore. At least this applies to Bignasco. From there, the climate becomes rougher and, logically, the higher the altitude, the lower the temperature. It rains the most in spring and autumn. In winter it snows, especially at higher altitudes (Fusio (1300m) or Bosco / Gurin (1500) you practically always have a closed snow cover. So you can also ski (like in Bosco Gurin) In summer it can get hot.
