Val Cadlimo e Lago dello Stabbio

Comment (Automatic translation in english)

Today's destination is the Val Cadlimo and more precisely the Lago dello Stabbio.
After reaching the Passo del Lucomagno, start walking westwards along the road (which is forbidden to traffic) that runs alongside the Lago di Santa Maria. After almost two kilometres, at the beginning of the Val Termine, leave the road and take the path that climbs into the Val Cadlimo. After a hundred or so metres, you reach the Reno di Medel, which is easily crossed thanks to a small Tibetan bridge. On the other side of the river, the path now begins to climb more steeply and becomes more demanding with some small sections on rocks equipped with chains. Towards an altitude of 2180 metres, we finally reach the entrance to the Cadlimo valley and the gradient of the route drops considerably. However, the difficulty does not, as there are still some rocky stretches to cross. At an altitude of 2228 metres, the path improves slightly, perhaps because it joins the one coming from Val Termine, which looks a little easier.
At this point there is also a small dam that serves to capture part of the river water and transport it to Val Piora where it will be used by the Ritom hydroelectric plants. Thanks to a simple pipe less than 2 km long, this water, instead of flowing into the North Sea, will end up in the Adriatic Sea, almost 1,000 km away. Unbelievable.
After a short break, we head west again and, after passing two mountain pastures, Stabbio Nuovo and Stabbio di Mezzo, we finally reach Lago dell'Isra. At this point, leave the path and start heading south-west around the lake to the right or left. If you choose to go west, it is better not to get too close to the lake because the ground is marshy, especially near its shores. East of the lake, on the other hand, as we discovered on the way back, the ground is solid and there is even a small trail.
In any case, after passing the lake, there is only a short grassy slope left and you will soon reach Lago dello Stabbio.
The return journey follows more or less the same route as the outward journey. When we reached Stabbio Nuovo, we were surprised to see a herd of yaks that have been summering here for several years. There must have been about a hundred of them, coming from different parts of Switzerland and ranging in colour from white to black or a mixture of the two.
As far as water is concerned, there is a miserable little fountain near the Lucomagno hospice from which little water flows, and then two streams below Alpe Scaione. There are also streams near Stabbio di Mezzo and finally a few more near Lago dell'Isra.