Val Piora / Taneda

From Airolo to Biasca, the Bellinzona road descends the valley of the Ticino, here known as the Valle Leventina: a superb Alpine valley which drops down in a series of stages, its slopes at first clad with green meadows and mountain forests, which soon give way to chestnuts and walnut-trees (many waterfalls). At the mouth of the wild Val Canaria the road traverses the Stretto di Stalvedro, passing under four natural rock arches. Beyond Piotta (1,012 m/3,320ft), in a wider part of the valley, to the left on the other side of the Ticino is the Ritom power station (50,000 kW), which supplies the St Gotthard railroad. From here a funicular 1,360 m/4,462ft long (average gradient 72% (1 in 1.3) serves the cantonal Gotthard Sanatorium (1,177 m/3