The slopes of the Lepontine Alps on which Menarola is located are criss-crossed by many tracks, some of which are as old as its earliest settlements : in particular, it used to be rather common to meet up with large groups of persons and of mules carrying goods over the Forcola Pass between the Valchiavenna and the neighbouring Valle Mesolcina. (For many years, especially in the 18th century, Venetian merchants used to use this pass to avoid paying onerous duties to the Milanese authorities. The pass was also used by other travellers, such as the future King Louis Philippe of France, then a political refugee fleeting over the Forcola) . At a later date the higher and more remote paths were used by smugglers between Italy and Switzerland.
At the present time these paths still survive and some, if not all of them, are still maintained, thus linking up the various settlements of Menarola, ensuring access to the Alpine pastures and opening up possibilities for hikers. ( A comprehensive map of all these paths is located at several places in Menarola, Castanedi, Foppo and Voga, but is somewhat confusing in that it shows not only those still in use but also those that have become heavily overgrown or abandoned. Help in opening up these old paths would be greatly welcomed!).
One factor that has greatly reduced the use of these old paths has been the building of a road linking the valley floor with the first Alpine pastures. This road has, however, also opened up the territory of Menarola to new visitors who would have had difficulty accessing it on the old paths. This road greatly facilitates access to the higher and more panoramic sections of Menarola, since you can now leave your car at the considerable height of 1050 metres without a permit or 1330 metres if you continue with a permit to the very end of the road. This enables you to avoid the sweaty climb from the valley floor and to choose walks which best suit your own interests and levels of fitness.
In the section below we first describe the main mountain path through the whole of Menarola which can link up to some much longer hikes. In the following section we describe some shorter hikes for people of all levels of fitness
(i)The main path through the entire territory of Menarola
The main surviving footpath is indicated by red and white marks and goes from the bottom end of Menarola right up to the Forcola Pass and then on into Switzerland, finishing At Soazza in the Val Mesolcina. The path begins on the right shortly after the sign on the road that you are entering Menarola and climbs parallel to the road for a considerable distance, crossing it on a number of occasions and passing by a number of fountains where you can quench your thirst. Beyond the pylon below Dardano, the hamlet of Menarola where the road ends, this path ,along with its variants, represents the only means of accessing the higher hamlets of Menarola, the particularly panoramic Alpe Buglio, the high pastures of Alpe Forcola (where there is also an unmanned mountain refuge where you can stay) and the scree slope leading up to the Forcola Pass at the frontier with Switzerland. We enclose here a link to a description of the footpath up to the pass. From here you can descend on a well-marked path to Soazza in the Swiss Val Mesolcina.
The entire walk from the bottom of Menarola up to the Forcola Pass and down to Soazza can be done in a long day, but you can also break your journey at the Rifugio Forcola at Alpe Forcola, just a few metres off the main footpath. From Soazza there are buses back to Bellinzona in the Ticino or north over the San Bernardino Pass to Splugen, Thusis and Chur Alternatively very energetic walkers can complete a three or four day walk by continuing up towards San Bernardino and then branching up over the Baldiscio Pass back into Italy. From the pass it is a beautiful walk down through Val Febbraro or over the Pian de Cavalli (the Pass of the Horses, with its prehistoric relics, limestone caves and small Alpine lakes) down to the Val San Giacomo, from where you can take a bus to Chiavenna or else walk down the Via Spluga to Chiavenna and then back to your starting point below Menarola. Yet another adventurous option is to take a footpath from below Campodolcino to San Bernardo and Olmo, and then to contour around the mountain past Sommarovina and Olmo back to the hamlet of Voga in Menarola. As tyou can see Menarola may seem like a small community with a dead-end road but it can also be the start of longer hikes through the surrounding mountains.
(ii)Some shorter walks
1 Trecciolino Walk towards the Crezza valley
The Trecciolino offers a particularly easy but very pleasant walk at around the 1000 metre level on the mountain. To get to it you follow the road to a bend just above the hamlet of Voga where there is a sign indicating the end of the freely accessible part of the road and that a permit is required to proceed further up the road. To the left of this bend is unpaved road which leads in a few metres to a parking space. From this point you can walk along the Trecciolino in either direction. This walk continues along the little road beyond the parking place and the road soon ends and becomes a comfortable and generally flat footpath.
The Trecciolino is so wide and flat because it was used by the hydro-electric authorities to build and maintain underground water channels leading from the mountain torrents along the contours of the mountain, all linked up to the big hydro-electric plant at Mese, the commune lying between Gordona and Chiavenna down in the main valley(an even more spectacular Trecciolino is on the other side of the Valchiavenna, leading from Val Codera to the Val dei Ratti, with many tunnels and fine views over the Lago di Mezzola).
Today’s walk is a short one, going through a forest and with occasional beautiful views over the Valchiavenna. It can be walked in all seasons of the year, being shady in summer and well-protected at other seasons. The vegetation along the way is very varied and some sections which are exposed to the sun and are drier and warmer are almost Mediterranean in character. The main walk ends at some stairs going down to a cave which is part of the hydroelectric works. From here you can return to your car but the walk can be prolonged by taking a marked but much narrower path that descends steeply on your left down to the Crezza river bed. Beyond the river another path climbs up towards Alpe Cermine and the ridge leading down towards the panoramic Dunadiv restaurant and the Val Bodengo. But that is for another day!
2 Circular walk to Cigolino and back
This second and much longer walk begins at the same parking place as the first walk. From here, however, you walk back to the road and continue along the Trecciolino in the opposite direction. After a few minutes along this gentle and flat trail, the path climbs a short distance up a rocky spur past a small helicopter pad and small building used for maintenance. From here the path passes a section which was affected by a landslide but that can be traversed with a little care. It then descends through the woods and eventually reaches Cigolino, a spectacular viewpoint over the Valchiavenna, the town of Chiavenna far below, the Val Bregaglia and the Val San Giacomo. Turning to the left you climb through open meadows, crossing a small road on a few occasions. Eventually a footpath is marked off to the left which leads back towards Menarola. It winds steeply down through the forest and eventually reaches the road from Voga leading up to Dardano. Turning left down this road you reach your starting point in another 20 minutes of walking.
3 Maggenghi walk
This short and pleasant walk begins further up the main Menarola road from the first two walks. You can walk up the road from the car park used for the first two walks but, if you drive, you will need a day permit that can be purchased for €3 in bars in Gordona (La Fuss, Martini, Doc )and in Mese (Makondo).Just after the footpath leading to Solerolo a wide and gentle forest track has been laid ou to the north through an area full of larches and with beautiful views down to the valley and over the woods of Menarola. At the end of the track, a rustic table has been built from logs from old larch trees and which is perfect for your picnic.
4 Upper Menarola circular walk
This is a more demanding but still not difficult walk which goes through the higher hamlets of Menarola, and offers many of its most spectacular views. The best starting place is at the end of the road next to a large pylon. To drive this, you will need the day permit mentioned above, but you can also walk from the end of the public road, avoiding road walking by climbing along the marked footpath towards Dardano and adding about 45 minutes to an hour to the complete walk.
Just above the end of the road is the hamlet of Dardano, from which a footpath climbs through the forest to the hamlet of Buglio, with a wonderful view. From Buglio a good footpath climbs gently through a pine forest and then comes out above the main tree line.
The main path then climbs up through steep scree to the Swiss border at the Forcola Pass and then descends into Switzerland. This demanding but not technically difficult walk is described elsewhere (insert link here)Another alternative route contours over to the right, crosses a watershed and descends towards Alpe Lendine and Olmo.
Today’s walk does not follow the path up to the pass but crosses a small stream to Alpe Forcola, a group of huts that were once used for summer pasture of cattle, and where you can also stay in a mountain refuge. From here you climb up along a ridge towards Alpe Scima, the highest hamlet of Menarola, and with its most extensive view.
From here you can continue further into the mountains above a valley completely hidden from the rest of Menarola. Our walk, however, descends steeply through the forest, crosses a stream and returns to Dardano and to our starting point.