Trail Therapy, Consumption & Confusion; 6.5 weeks in Switzerland and Northern Italy
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Oct 28 -
Our day began with more of those lovely crema croissants and caffe lattes at Royal Bar (€9).
Domodossola is situated at 270 meters; today we’d be going up to 1,400 meters where it was -2c when we checked, so we dressed accordingly, wearing our fleece lined hiking pants.
Today’s plan was to walk to the Lago Delle Fate (Lake of Fairies) and then on to Crocette Citta Morta (Dead City) in the Valle Quarazza. We had the choice of a 7:05 am or 9:25 am bus on the Macugnaga bus line.
Our research indicated that this trail could be accessed via Pecetto, Staffa or Isella, which are villages/hamlets about 1:15 from Domodossola.
We’d planned to walk what we thought was a one-hour loop from Isella, taking the 9:25 am bus, arriving around 10:40; then catching the 12:23 bus back to Domodosolla, giving us almost two hours for the walk.
Weirdly, the bus schedule only showed stops at Pecetto, Staffa and Borca, so we switched gears, thinking we could get off at Staffa, then walk down to Isella, and then pick up the trail to Lago delle Fate.
This however, presented a potential problem with catching the 12:23 pm return bus.
However, after Bill consulted Mappy, we learned there is a bus stop at Isella, so when we boarded the 9:25 am bus, we asked for the Isella stop (€6 each, including supplement for paying onboard).
So far so good…
We arrived at Isella at about 10:40, located the trail and began the walk. Thirty minutes in, as we reached Lago delle Fate, we realized we weren’t going to make it to the Dead City and have time to get back for the 12:23 bus, as the Dead City was still 30 minutes past the lake. Evidently that one hour loop was actually one hour each way.
Isella
Walking to Lago delle Fate
Walking to Lago delle Fate
So, we agreed we’d continue walking to the Dead City and commit to the next bus at 2:53 pm, not knowing how we’d fill that time, but hoping we could have lunch at one of the two places we’d noticed by the lake (discovering on the return walk that both were closed for the season).
Lago delle Fate (Lake of Fairies) had been described as “a scenic, artificial green water lake in the Anzasca Valley near Macugnaga, Italy”.
Internet photo of Lago Delle Fate
What we found was more of a drained pond than a lake; The surrounding area wasn’t very pretty, with what appeared to be logging and a lot of dead trees, but the distant views to snow-covered Monte Rosa were gorgeous, especially with the fall color.
Lago delle Fate
Lago delle Fate
Walking to Crocette Citta Morta
We’d not known the history of Crocette Citta Morta, so our stop there was a learning experience. The area was known for extracting gold from pyrite with mining activities dating back to Celtic and Roman times, with operations ceasing between 1953-1961, leaving behind a site heavily contaminated with arsenic, cyanide and mercury.
Crocette Citta Morta
Crocette Citta Morta
Crocette Citta Morta
Crocette Citta Morta
We were back in Isella around 12:30; not much there other than a few homes and a Agriturismo horse stable.
With lots of time before the next bus, we decided to walk the 25 minutes up to Staffa and look for lunch there. Fifteen minutes into the walk we saw a bridge crossing the river and a sign indicating that Staffa was five minutes in that direction, so we crossed. Lo’ and behold the trail ended with stairs that led to… nothing…just the side of a cliff-like hill and a sign that said Experts Only; evidently the non-trail led directly up the incredibly steep hillside. What???
Trail to nowhere
So, we backtracked and continued the trail up to Pecetto, hoping there would be a bridge so we could cross the river. Yes! We found a bridge and a road that led up to Pecetto, a hamlet of the Walser village of Macugnaga at the base of Monte Rosa, and at the end of the Anzasca Valley; we’d logged 6.6 miles.
Wow, now this was something.
Base of Monte Rosa at the end of the Anzasca Valley, Macugnaga
Macugnaga
We worked our way to the tiny hamlet, popping into Miramonte Bar Restaurant, happy to find it open. We asked the waitress how far the bus stop was, and when she said it was close, we decided to stay on for a late lunch.
The restaurant had an extensive polenta menu; I chose polenta with melted cheese, forgetting to ask what kind of cheese, and unfortunately, it had both gorgonzola (which I don’t like) and alpine cheese, so Bill ate quite of bit of it (€12).
He chose the stewed sausage and polenta, which sounded awful, but was really good (€15). I even ate some of the sausage, which was soft and melted in the mouth. With a ½ liter of wine, a liter of water and €2 each coperto, the total came to €39.50.
Window of Miramonte Bar Restaurant
Stewed sausage and polenta
Polenta with cheese
Afterwards we walked the five minutes to the bus stop of this pretty little hamlet; it felt very Swiss-like.
Pecetto
Pecetto
Pecetto
Our return bus was 10 minutes late and we were beginning to worry, as it was a long walk back to Domodossola (€6 each).
The drive alone up and down this gorgeous valley was worth the journey; the road long, narrow, and winding, with sheer drop offs to an incredibly deep gorge below. It was very much like many Swiss roads we’ve been on over the years; the driver honking his horn and flashing his lights as we entered tunnels and blind curves.
Back in Domodossola, I again noticed all the freshly cut chrysanthemums. We’d walked past the back door of a florist near our apartment all week, and had seen a lot of flower arrangements sitting outside.
I wondered if all the chrysanthemums were somehow related to the upcoming All Saints Day, so I Googled, and yes, they are; they were flying off the shelves.
Then it was back to the apartment for a polenta coma.
To be continued…
Our day began with more of those lovely crema croissants and caffe lattes at Royal Bar (€9).
Domodossola is situated at 270 meters; today we’d be going up to 1,400 meters where it was -2c when we checked, so we dressed accordingly, wearing our fleece lined hiking pants.
Today’s plan was to walk to the Lago Delle Fate (Lake of Fairies) and then on to Crocette Citta Morta (Dead City) in the Valle Quarazza. We had the choice of a 7:05 am or 9:25 am bus on the Macugnaga bus line.
Our research indicated that this trail could be accessed via Pecetto, Staffa or Isella, which are villages/hamlets about 1:15 from Domodossola.
We’d planned to walk what we thought was a one-hour loop from Isella, taking the 9:25 am bus, arriving around 10:40; then catching the 12:23 bus back to Domodosolla, giving us almost two hours for the walk.
Weirdly, the bus schedule only showed stops at Pecetto, Staffa and Borca, so we switched gears, thinking we could get off at Staffa, then walk down to Isella, and then pick up the trail to Lago delle Fate.
This however, presented a potential problem with catching the 12:23 pm return bus.
However, after Bill consulted Mappy, we learned there is a bus stop at Isella, so when we boarded the 9:25 am bus, we asked for the Isella stop (€6 each, including supplement for paying onboard).
So far so good…
We arrived at Isella at about 10:40, located the trail and began the walk. Thirty minutes in, as we reached Lago delle Fate, we realized we weren’t going to make it to the Dead City and have time to get back for the 12:23 bus, as the Dead City was still 30 minutes past the lake. Evidently that one hour loop was actually one hour each way.
Isella
Walking to Lago delle Fate
Walking to Lago delle Fate
So, we agreed we’d continue walking to the Dead City and commit to the next bus at 2:53 pm, not knowing how we’d fill that time, but hoping we could have lunch at one of the two places we’d noticed by the lake (discovering on the return walk that both were closed for the season).
Lago delle Fate (Lake of Fairies) had been described as “a scenic, artificial green water lake in the Anzasca Valley near Macugnaga, Italy”.
Internet photo of Lago Delle Fate
What we found was more of a drained pond than a lake; The surrounding area wasn’t very pretty, with what appeared to be logging and a lot of dead trees, but the distant views to snow-covered Monte Rosa were gorgeous, especially with the fall color.
Lago delle Fate
Lago delle Fate
Walking to Crocette Citta Morta
We’d not known the history of Crocette Citta Morta, so our stop there was a learning experience. The area was known for extracting gold from pyrite with mining activities dating back to Celtic and Roman times, with operations ceasing between 1953-1961, leaving behind a site heavily contaminated with arsenic, cyanide and mercury.
Crocette Citta Morta
Crocette Citta Morta
Crocette Citta Morta
Crocette Citta Morta
We were back in Isella around 12:30; not much there other than a few homes and a Agriturismo horse stable.
With lots of time before the next bus, we decided to walk the 25 minutes up to Staffa and look for lunch there. Fifteen minutes into the walk we saw a bridge crossing the river and a sign indicating that Staffa was five minutes in that direction, so we crossed. Lo’ and behold the trail ended with stairs that led to… nothing…just the side of a cliff-like hill and a sign that said Experts Only; evidently the non-trail led directly up the incredibly steep hillside. What???
Trail to nowhere
So, we backtracked and continued the trail up to Pecetto, hoping there would be a bridge so we could cross the river. Yes! We found a bridge and a road that led up to Pecetto, a hamlet of the Walser village of Macugnaga at the base of Monte Rosa, and at the end of the Anzasca Valley; we’d logged 6.6 miles.
Wow, now this was something.
Base of Monte Rosa at the end of the Anzasca Valley, Macugnaga
Macugnaga
We worked our way to the tiny hamlet, popping into Miramonte Bar Restaurant, happy to find it open. We asked the waitress how far the bus stop was, and when she said it was close, we decided to stay on for a late lunch.
The restaurant had an extensive polenta menu; I chose polenta with melted cheese, forgetting to ask what kind of cheese, and unfortunately, it had both gorgonzola (which I don’t like) and alpine cheese, so Bill ate quite of bit of it (€12).
He chose the stewed sausage and polenta, which sounded awful, but was really good (€15). I even ate some of the sausage, which was soft and melted in the mouth. With a ½ liter of wine, a liter of water and €2 each coperto, the total came to €39.50.
Window of Miramonte Bar Restaurant
Stewed sausage and polenta
Polenta with cheese
Afterwards we walked the five minutes to the bus stop of this pretty little hamlet; it felt very Swiss-like.
Pecetto
Pecetto
Pecetto
Our return bus was 10 minutes late and we were beginning to worry, as it was a long walk back to Domodossola (€6 each).
The drive alone up and down this gorgeous valley was worth the journey; the road long, narrow, and winding, with sheer drop offs to an incredibly deep gorge below. It was very much like many Swiss roads we’ve been on over the years; the driver honking his horn and flashing his lights as we entered tunnels and blind curves.
Back in Domodossola, I again noticed all the freshly cut chrysanthemums. We’d walked past the back door of a florist near our apartment all week, and had seen a lot of flower arrangements sitting outside.
I wondered if all the chrysanthemums were somehow related to the upcoming All Saints Day, so I Googled, and yes, they are; they were flying off the shelves.
Then it was back to the apartment for a polenta coma.
To be continued…
The base of Monte Rosa is gorgeous and the post-hike lunch sounds like it hits the spot. Happy New Year.
Oct 29 -
Rain was expected, and wed already decided we were just going to hang around Domodossola today.
So, it was back to Bar Royal for crema brioche and prosecco, regular for me, rose for Bill, breakfast of champions, 13.80
Afterwards we loosely followed a suggested walking tour of town, soon losing the plot and just wandering. We explored the suburbs, popped into a church under construction, and wandered through a grocery store for one last look, logging about two miles.
Wandering Domodossola
Wandering Domodossola
Wandering Domodossola
Octopus in grocery store
We ended up in Piazza del Mercado, where we had an alfresco glass of wine at Sali & Pistacchi, which turned out to be a vegan restaurant, where we were presented with a plate of rather odd nibbles. Here we learned that vegan cheese is nasty. Bill tried the Pecorino, an Italian white wine variety. I stuck with prosecco 12).
View from table at Sali & Pistacchi
We later popped into a bottle shop to pick up two sample bottles of Amaro, one to try later (and still in my cupboard) and another to add to the bag of Italian goods I was putting together for a neighbor. I suspect it tastes like Ricola in liquid form.
Lunch found us back at Officine Domesi for another mouthful of raw meat (thanks but no), their lovely Risotto Alla Barbabietola (beet, 13 each) and a glass of the Vermentino Sardegna, a nice white (6 each). Another great meal (45 including 3 for 1.5 liter of sparking water and 4 coperto).
More raw meat
Risotto Alla Barbabietola
Then it was back to the apartment to digest and pack.
Later that evening we visited Di Vino for one final glass of red (13), a bit wined out by now, and then went looking for gelato, but the whole town was buttoned up at 7 pm. Maybe the town shuts down when it rains?
Domodossola after dark
Domodossola after dark
Domodossola after dark
Domodossola after dark
Domodossola after dark
Winding down
Rain was expected, and wed already decided we were just going to hang around Domodossola today.
So, it was back to Bar Royal for crema brioche and prosecco, regular for me, rose for Bill, breakfast of champions, 13.80
Afterwards we loosely followed a suggested walking tour of town, soon losing the plot and just wandering. We explored the suburbs, popped into a church under construction, and wandered through a grocery store for one last look, logging about two miles.
Wandering Domodossola
Wandering Domodossola
Wandering Domodossola
Octopus in grocery store
We ended up in Piazza del Mercado, where we had an alfresco glass of wine at Sali & Pistacchi, which turned out to be a vegan restaurant, where we were presented with a plate of rather odd nibbles. Here we learned that vegan cheese is nasty. Bill tried the Pecorino, an Italian white wine variety. I stuck with prosecco 12).
View from table at Sali & Pistacchi
We later popped into a bottle shop to pick up two sample bottles of Amaro, one to try later (and still in my cupboard) and another to add to the bag of Italian goods I was putting together for a neighbor. I suspect it tastes like Ricola in liquid form.
Lunch found us back at Officine Domesi for another mouthful of raw meat (thanks but no), their lovely Risotto Alla Barbabietola (beet, 13 each) and a glass of the Vermentino Sardegna, a nice white (6 each). Another great meal (45 including 3 for 1.5 liter of sparking water and 4 coperto).
More raw meat
Risotto Alla Barbabietola
Then it was back to the apartment to digest and pack.
Later that evening we visited Di Vino for one final glass of red (13), a bit wined out by now, and then went looking for gelato, but the whole town was buttoned up at 7 pm. Maybe the town shuts down when it rains?
Domodossola after dark
Domodossola after dark
Domodossola after dark
Domodossola after dark
Domodossola after dark
Winding down
Oct 30 -
Our trip was drawing to a close.
We were up early, planning to take the 9:58 am train to Bern, and then connect to a train to the Zurich airport with our previously purchased Saver Day Pass.
We had extra time, so Bill checked the train capacity and decided it might be better to take the 8:58 am instead.
So, we got everything together, and then walked over to Royal Bar hoping to have one last crema croissant and a glass of rosι prosecco, but they didn't open until 8 am.
We returned to the apartment, finished packing up and rolled our suitcases down to Bar Regina across from the train station, where we had crema croissants and prosecco, fitting right in as we watched a woman order an Aperol spritz to go (€13.40).
We’d received a message via email from Trenord this morning, but it seemed to reference something happening on Nov 1 & 2. There were many indecipherable announcements at the train station, we had no idea what about. We hoped it was something related to All Saints Day tomorrow, and nothing that would affect us today.
We arrived in Bern 20 minutes late due to a delay in one of the tunnels.
Once at the Zurich Airport, we crossed the street and checked into our hotel for the night, Hyatt Place the Circle.
The Circle is a business hub consisting of hotels, offices, restaurants, shops and other various businesses. It turned out to be a great location for our last night in Zurich.
While Bill read, I went out to explore; we’d decided to not go into town even though our Saver Day Pass would have covered transportation; we were content to just hang out.
I headed to the park located behind The Circle, an 80,000 square meter green space. Here I wandered the trails, surrounded by the colors of autumn.
Flughafen park
Flughafen park
Flughafen park
I also took in the views from the Sky Platform, the highest point of the park.
View from Sky Platform
I returned to the hotel to collect Bill and we explored The Circle, ogled the Laderach display window and the Bachmann wall of chocolate fountain (me purchasing six truffles for 11 chf, delicious, especially the Bailey’s).
We also shared a tasty hot chocolate at Lindt & Sprόngl (8.20 chf) in the airport shopping area.
Yum
We then sought out dinner, settling on the Indian option at the food court (Foodland) both choosing a set meal of curry, rice, naan and pappadum with a bottle of water (48 chf).
Fast food Indian dinner
Back in the room we were burning up. We’d notified the front desk twice that it was just too hot; the temperature was controlled by the hotel.
The third time we complained we were moved to a different room, a huge corner unit with two walls of windows. A nice upgrade; it was still warm, but cooler than the first room.
Oct 31 -
Up early, we walked over to the airport, the entire check-in, security and immigration process taking about 30 minutes.
Then we headed to the Swiss Lounge at the E gates, our favorite last destination on any trip to Switzerland. Bill did some sampling in the Whisky Club, and I noshed on those lovely Swiss mini chocolates (made by Frey).
Swiss Lounge
Our flight from Zurich to Dulles was smooth until we came in for landing, when it got pretty turbulent. There was a medical emergency on board, so we were told to stay seated until the paramedics removed an ill passenger.
Dulles was a mess. We waited a long time for our luggage; multiple flights had arrived at the same time and airport staff were taking bags off carousels and placing them behind signs with city names.
After re-checking our luggage for our next flight, all connecting passengers were directed to one incredibly long line which looked like it wound through the airport for miles.
Ah yes, the good old US government shutdown. Thank you for nothing.
This was the line for security, so I searched for a place to empty our water bottles, only to be told later to leave computers and liquids in our luggage. As we stood in line we watched the UA app, which told us our flight was boarding, so we figured it would be leaving without us. Considering the chaos and concern with missing flights, everyone was surprisingly calm.
Finally free, we rushed to our gate; our flight had boarded, but the plane was waiting for six of us.
Thank goodness.
We arrived in Denver, and had time for cookies and coffee in the in Red Carpet Club before boarding our flight to COS.
Our usually late flight to COS arrived 15 minutes early. We had to wait a bit for our Z-trip ride, but no worries.
We picked up our car, drove home and were in bed by 11:30 pm.
And the best bit? I spent the next week completely un-jetlagged. I don’t remember that ever happening before.
And with that, this too long trip report is finally finished!
If you’ve lasted this long, thanks for joining me.
-----------------------
Our trip was drawing to a close.
We were up early, planning to take the 9:58 am train to Bern, and then connect to a train to the Zurich airport with our previously purchased Saver Day Pass.
We had extra time, so Bill checked the train capacity and decided it might be better to take the 8:58 am instead.
So, we got everything together, and then walked over to Royal Bar hoping to have one last crema croissant and a glass of rosι prosecco, but they didn't open until 8 am.
We returned to the apartment, finished packing up and rolled our suitcases down to Bar Regina across from the train station, where we had crema croissants and prosecco, fitting right in as we watched a woman order an Aperol spritz to go (€13.40).
We’d received a message via email from Trenord this morning, but it seemed to reference something happening on Nov 1 & 2. There were many indecipherable announcements at the train station, we had no idea what about. We hoped it was something related to All Saints Day tomorrow, and nothing that would affect us today.
We arrived in Bern 20 minutes late due to a delay in one of the tunnels.
Once at the Zurich Airport, we crossed the street and checked into our hotel for the night, Hyatt Place the Circle.
The Circle is a business hub consisting of hotels, offices, restaurants, shops and other various businesses. It turned out to be a great location for our last night in Zurich.
While Bill read, I went out to explore; we’d decided to not go into town even though our Saver Day Pass would have covered transportation; we were content to just hang out.
I headed to the park located behind The Circle, an 80,000 square meter green space. Here I wandered the trails, surrounded by the colors of autumn.
Flughafen park
Flughafen park
Flughafen park
I also took in the views from the Sky Platform, the highest point of the park.
View from Sky Platform
I returned to the hotel to collect Bill and we explored The Circle, ogled the Laderach display window and the Bachmann wall of chocolate fountain (me purchasing six truffles for 11 chf, delicious, especially the Bailey’s).
We also shared a tasty hot chocolate at Lindt & Sprόngl (8.20 chf) in the airport shopping area.
Yum
We then sought out dinner, settling on the Indian option at the food court (Foodland) both choosing a set meal of curry, rice, naan and pappadum with a bottle of water (48 chf).
Fast food Indian dinner
Back in the room we were burning up. We’d notified the front desk twice that it was just too hot; the temperature was controlled by the hotel.
The third time we complained we were moved to a different room, a huge corner unit with two walls of windows. A nice upgrade; it was still warm, but cooler than the first room.
Oct 31 -
Up early, we walked over to the airport, the entire check-in, security and immigration process taking about 30 minutes.
Then we headed to the Swiss Lounge at the E gates, our favorite last destination on any trip to Switzerland. Bill did some sampling in the Whisky Club, and I noshed on those lovely Swiss mini chocolates (made by Frey).
Swiss Lounge
Our flight from Zurich to Dulles was smooth until we came in for landing, when it got pretty turbulent. There was a medical emergency on board, so we were told to stay seated until the paramedics removed an ill passenger.
Dulles was a mess. We waited a long time for our luggage; multiple flights had arrived at the same time and airport staff were taking bags off carousels and placing them behind signs with city names.
After re-checking our luggage for our next flight, all connecting passengers were directed to one incredibly long line which looked like it wound through the airport for miles.
Ah yes, the good old US government shutdown. Thank you for nothing.
This was the line for security, so I searched for a place to empty our water bottles, only to be told later to leave computers and liquids in our luggage. As we stood in line we watched the UA app, which told us our flight was boarding, so we figured it would be leaving without us. Considering the chaos and concern with missing flights, everyone was surprisingly calm.
Finally free, we rushed to our gate; our flight had boarded, but the plane was waiting for six of us.
Thank goodness.
We arrived in Denver, and had time for cookies and coffee in the in Red Carpet Club before boarding our flight to COS.
Our usually late flight to COS arrived 15 minutes early. We had to wait a bit for our Z-trip ride, but no worries.
We picked up our car, drove home and were in bed by 11:30 pm.
And the best bit? I spent the next week completely un-jetlagged. I don’t remember that ever happening before.
And with that, this too long trip report is finally finished!
If you’ve lasted this long, thanks for joining me.
-----------------------
Danke schon, for allowing us to walk along with you. You've provided me with much food for thought about a potential future trip.
What an amazing journey you and Bill took, and thank you so much for taking us along. The views of Monte Rosa are stunning. But I got to chuckle at the internet photo of the fairy lake you posted. I saw it before I saw your caption and I was like, WOW so beautiful. And then I saw your picture and your description. Sometimes the internet does lie to us...
I'm finally catching up with your report after the holidays. Thank you for writing such a detailed report on your adventures; I loved every bit of it. Your photos are wonderful, too -- feels like we travel with you, minus the aches and pains! Win-win.
Honestly, I didn't quite understand where you really wanted to go in the Simbo - Cusione - Bisogno area.
But your fotos from there are marvellous.
So are those from Z'Maggenen Zer Tannu/Macugnaga Pecetto, from the abandoned mines and from the Feenseewji/Lago delle Frate at the entry to the Kratzertal/Val Quarazza.
As to the Tosafall/Cascate del Toce, it cannot be excluded that the small trail up to Uf der Frutt/Sopra Frua was closed. But the road would most probably have been open.
But the whole thing might have been rather stressing anyway, as the bus from Domo arrives at Zum Staeg/Ponte Formazza at 10.30 only, whereas the last bus turns back from there at 15.45.
It's about 3 miles from the bus termnal up to the base of the falls.
Until end August, things er much easier, as the bus goes then up to Kehrbaechi/Riale, above the falls.
But your fotos from there are marvellous.
So are those from Z'Maggenen Zer Tannu/Macugnaga Pecetto, from the abandoned mines and from the Feenseewji/Lago delle Frate at the entry to the Kratzertal/Val Quarazza.
As to the Tosafall/Cascate del Toce, it cannot be excluded that the small trail up to Uf der Frutt/Sopra Frua was closed. But the road would most probably have been open.
But the whole thing might have been rather stressing anyway, as the bus from Domo arrives at Zum Staeg/Ponte Formazza at 10.30 only, whereas the last bus turns back from there at 15.45.
It's about 3 miles from the bus termnal up to the base of the falls.
Until end August, things er much easier, as the bus goes then up to Kehrbaechi/Riale, above the falls.
