Calnegia Valley 🍁 (Ticino, Switzerland)

The Val Calnègia high valley, a side valley of the Bavona Valley, opens up above Foroglio. It can only be reached on foot, but the reward in the form of a submerged creek, unusual buildings and spectacular scenery is well worth the effort. The landscape in Val Calnègia, a side valley of Bal Bavona, is known for its raw charm. It is an exceptionally wild and isolated side valley and branches off in different directions near Foroglio, which has an impressive waterfall. It thunders over a very high cliff with a great roar. Hard to believe that there is a path going up this cliff to the hanging valley. But it is indeed possible if you follow the steep steps of the hiking trail. Tremendous natural forces have shaped Val Calnègia: a slow flow of the glacier, landslides, erosion, avalanches and floods. Due to the recession of the glacier, loose material has tumbled down the steep cliffs and formed extended rocky deserts. Still, people were able to eke out a modest living here. Remnants of this time are found from the hamlets at the bottom of the valley all the way up to the remotest mountain meadows. Stone walls, old cultivations, agricultural buildings or stairs, and everything was made with drystone walls. The hollow space between the rocks was enlarged and used for shelter for the cattle, modest housing, hay, straw and wood storage, or as a cellar. In addition, rock constructions have been found that suggest that drying facilities for chestnuts, ovens for baking or a blacksmith workshop once existed there. Val Calègia is surrounded by inaccessible mountain peaks. There is no sunshine during the winter months and the area is fraught with natural hazards, such as ice falls, rock falls and avalanches. This is why the valley is only inhabited in the summer, when the hamlet is also a good place for a brief stop to catch your breath.