On the website for the “Top Ten Highlights of the Ticino”, this hike to one of Switzerland’s longest Tibetan-style suspension bridges is described as a 4-hour hike starting in Sementina near Bellinzona, and hiking up the sun-drenched vineyards facing the Magadino Plain, then crossing the spectacular bridge, ending with a visit to the very old chapel of San Bernardo, the restored village of Curzútt, and then a steep 350m descent to Monte Carasso.
In this version you walk in the opposite direction, saving about an hour’s walking time by taking the Monte Carasso - Mornera cable car to the village of Curzútt, which lies at 600m and is a fairly new stop along the route. Curzútt is a very pretty cluster of stone houses built in the typical dry-stone style of the Ticino area. The hostel at Curzútt offers reasonably priced accommodation and meals. This whole area including gardens and terraced vineyards has been lovingly restored by the Fondazione Curzútt-S. Barnard thanks to a significant investment of about 6 million Francs.
About 10 minutes along the trail toward the suspension bridge lies the small Romanesque church of San Bernardo whose origins date back to the late 11th century. The interior is virtually fully covered in 14th and 15th century frescoes. The painting of the Last Supper is especially interesting owing to the fact that the artist featured local products, including freshwater crabs and cherries, on the table.
A pleasant walk through chestnut forests approaches the elegant Tibetan bridge from above. The sight is breath-taking: 270 metres in length and suspended 130 metres above the Sementina creek below. Crossing the bridge is not as fear-inducing as it may seem: Swiss bridge builders have made sure the bridge is securely fastened so it doesn’t swing.
On the other side of the bridge there is a short uphill section, and then the path heads downhill all the way through more chestnut woods, vineyards, palm and magnolia gardens back to Monte Carasso. A little detour to the plateau of San Defendente is also recommended.
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- Detailed map with traced route on SwissMobility map, including elevation profile
- GPS file for download
- Route description in text form
- Printable tour description