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/3,862ft) the picturesque mountain village of Altanca (1,346 m/4,416ft; also reached by road from Piotta; beautiful church of 1603) and Piora (1,795 m/5,889ft; 24 minutes). From the funicular station it is a 15-minute walk to the Ritomsee (1,830 m/6,004ft), an artificial lake which supplies the Ritom power station; from here it is a three-hour climb to the summit of Taneda (2,670 m/8,760ft; magnificent views). From Ambri (980 m/3,215ft) a narrow mountain road winds up to a number of villages high in the mountains (1.5km/1mi to Quinto, 6km to Ronco, 7km/4mi to Altanca).