Monte Generoso

Comment (Automatic translation in english)

This excursion starts from the La Peonia restaurant, where there is a huge parking, payable from May to the end of September (Fr. 2.50 for 6 hours, Fr. 5.00 for the whole day).
For those who do not feel like facing the road, which in some places is quite narrow and with few parking areas, there is always the possibility of taking the Monte Generoso railway up to Bellavista.
After leaving the car, we will reach this station on foot, where it is possible to enjoy a wide view of Monte San Giorgio and Lake Ceresio.
So let's start climbing north-east along the path that follows the railway quite closely up to the hotel at an altitude of 1601 meters.
This building is currently not accessible due to problems of subsidence of the ground below and will have to be demolished one day.
Here, in addition to the restaurant, there are also an astronomical observatory, a beautiful sundial and the Path of the Planets (scale 1: 10'000'000'000) where it is possible to "cross" the entire solar system in just 600 meters.
In 100 meters of difference in height we reach the top where there is a large panoramic terrace.
On the way back we decide to take the path that leads from the hotel to the East, along the Via dei Pianeti, and descend first to Alpe Nadigh and then turn right up to Alpe Génor.
In this area there are beautiful buildings belonging to the rural world of the past, such as mountain pastures, stone fences, cisterns and snowfalls. The latter are cylindrical buildings, placed in the shade, where once perishable foodstuffs were placed, which in winter were covered with snow (hence the name) which kept them cool until the following year.
We continue slightly downhill to Pianca Comune and here we take the path that goes down to the Cascina d'Armirone where there is a small church.
Following the road we then come back to the parking lot.
If you take this trip in winter or spring it is easy to come across many chamois that can not be hunted on this mountain and therefore have little fear of man. We have seen 9 along the way.
I remember to bring a good supply of water because it is not present anywhere except a tank located on the path above Cugnolett, west of Alpe Génor.