Imagine a landscape straight out a children’s book, with wide meadows full of flowers, colorful fluttering butterflies and a stream running by, almost brushing the grass?
Lucomagno, Blenio Valley
Well, today we have been the protagonists of one of those illustrations and for a moment, we had the feeling glittering fairies were all around us.
Shall I tell you more about this magical palace? It is in Blenio Valley (read our article here) . This valley is in Ticino, Switzerland, more specifically in the Lucomagno area.
Trail 2, Lucomagno (Golene del Brenno)
We asked the grandmother along, prepared one of those unhealthy picnics that kids like so much, and set off towards the Valle del Sole (Sun Valley). We parked the car in the paying car park lot of the Infocentro Casaccia at 1800 m above sea level. The car park is the departure point of 4 of the 7 nature trails of the Lucomagno area, which are clearly indicated with numbers and colors.
Some of these trails are flat and are therefore suitable with children. We chose the orange path (no. 2) which leads to Alpe di Pertusio and is called “Golene del Brenno”. It follows the river.
Along the trail
As we walked, we admired the many colorful flowers, including orchids typical of the mountain areas. Ten minutes into our walk, where the terrain was still flat, we reached a river (well, maybe a stream, not a river). The landscape, as I said before, is idillic, straight out of a fairy tale. Near the river we found a little pond full of tadpoles, so we stopped to let the children admire them.
Although it was only 11:30 AM, we all agreed to stop and have our picnic. The kids ate their food quickly because they wanted to build a dam with stones found in the river (a failed attempt, as the water kept flowing through).
After that, we challenged one another to throw a stone as far as we could and then had a race: the first one to reach the other side of the river, would be the winner. (Needless to say, the water was freezing and I came last!).
Eventually we decided (reluctantly) to make a move, and decided to continue our journey. We walked for 25 more minutes as far as Alpe Pertusio, where we admired the source of the river Brenno. Right nearby, there is a farm with pigs and cows and we had fun watching them roll in the mud. The gluttons can buy cheese, ricotta and other delicacies.
On the way back to Casaccia, the children ran as fast as roe deer through the tall grass.
The Centro Pro Natura of Lucomagno
On the way back to Biasca, we stopped at the Centro Pro Natura Lucomagno, which is a center for the study and contemplation of the Alpine Nature as well as the ideal place for those who want to have a regenerating holiday, away from hustle and bustle of city life.
The center organizes activities, events, conferences and seminars to allow people to learn about nature and mountain animals. Most importantly there are guided tours suitable for families, so that kids can discover the forest, the river, the ants, the amphibians and the great predators. For a full immersion, the center offers the possibility to stay overnight in yurts, wooden bungalows or hotel rooms.
Every year the center organizes an interactive exhibition specially designed for children, about a local animal. We had the privilege to see an exhibition dedicated to the bearded vulture (which I did not even know it existed). The children learned to build its nest with pieces of wood, saw its bones and touched them (which is a rare opportunity, because this bearded vulture feeds on bones, too). Then there were active games and were given the chance to “assemble” the animal.
Next time we go, we would like to take part in the guided walk, which allows you to discover the incredible world of ants. If interested, remember that you need to be book it in advanced. What a wonderful day we had, and what a chance to discover our amazing canton Ticino!
This article was published on 3 August 2018 on the magazine Extrasette, of the Corriere del Ticino.
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