Switzerland : Ticino (Val Maggia, Locarno, Bellinzona)

Pasta. Scooters. Castles.

We enjoyed exploring the Italian part of Switzerland, down in the southern region of the country. It truly felt like we were in Italy (are we sure we didn't accidentally cross the border?) No Heidi, chocolate box houses or bratwurst here, but rather homemade pasta, gelato, scooters, castles, palm trees and warm weather! Prego.

Our first destination was Val Maggia, a narrow valley following a river by the same name and full of picturesque villages, switchback roads and one very unique church. We must've gained a lot of elevation as we reached snow! It was also eerily quiet in this area, not a lot of people or cars around.

There's no one around!

Next, we backtracked to Val Bavona, which has several hamlets comprised of rustic stone and slate-roofed houses which are only inhabited from April through November. Foroglio was a highlight, and boasts a powerful waterfall as a backdrop.

Now it was time for the "big city" of Locarno. Well, it has a population of roughly 15,000 but it felt really large after all the teeny tiny villages up in the valley! This town sits on the northern tip Lake Maggiore and has a definite resort feel to it. It also boasts the most sunshine out of any Swiss town - 2,300 hours per year. It was sunny indeed and we enjoyed strolling through the old town, piazzas and path along the lake.

We also took a funicular up to the Santuario della Madonna del Sasso, which is perched on a wooded hillside on the edge of a deep ravine above the city and offers spectacular views from the church's courtyard. The churches here have really ornate baroque ceilings, so pretty.

For dinner we had hearty Italian fare, pizza and the biggest homemade tortellini I've ever seen. Both were very fresh and delicious!

In the morning we headed to another rugged valley, Val Verzasca, and the Vogorno dam in particular. It's the highest dam in Europe and also the location where James Bond jumped in the1995 movie GoldenEye. For those adrenaline junkies, bungee jumps are offered! Good lord, I couldn't look over the side of the dam it's so high, I can't believe there are people who want to jump off willingly! Eek.

NO thank you!

Our last stop was Bellinzona and its three fairy-tale medieval castles. Most people come for the castles, but the old town is full of picturesque squares, carefully restored merchants' houses and vineyards to boot.

Castelgrande, the first and biggest one is located in the center of town. A nice path connects all the castles, but it was quite a hike uphill to get to the last one.