Acquarossa: Historic Trails, Churches and Winter Activities

Acquarossa lies in the Blenio Valley, in the Blenio district of the canton of Ticino in Switzerland, and is considered a holiday destination. Historic trails, churches and frescoes, an ethnographic museum and winter activities in Nara appeal to a range of interests. The municipality has 65 km of hiking trails. Three historic trails differ in length and duration, offering concrete points of comparison when you want to weigh up the time involved and the distance covered.

Historic trails by distance and duration

One historic trail runs from Acquarossa to Malvaglia and also in the opposite direction. It is 7 km long and takes 2 hours in total. Another route starts and ends in Acquarossa, covers 4.5 km and takes 1 hour 55 minutes. The trail through the lower and middle Blenio Valley also starts and ends in Acquarossa: it covers 14.5 km and takes 5 hours in total. The durations of the two shorter routes are close, even though their distances differ; at five hours, the 14.5-km route takes longer. This lets you weigh up duration and distance together rather than comparing only the number of kilometres.

Along the Brenno and across its crossings

Between Dongio and Motto, a walkable route follows the Brenno River and begins at the sports ground. Another crossing over the Brenno is the Ponte di San Pietro. It connects the hamlet of Motto on the right bank with the villages of Ludiano and Semione; the route continues to Loderio and eventually to Biasca. The river route and the bridge offer different experiences: one runs along the water between Dongio and Motto, while the other connects Motto with several villages and continues towards Biasca.

Churches, architectural history and frescoes

The Romanesque church of San Pietro in Motto was built in the 13th century in place of an early medieval church dating from the late 6th century. The church preserves late Gothic frescoes by an anonymous Lombard painter from the late 14th century.

The Romanesque church of San Remigio stands in Boscero opposite Dongio and has two apses. It was documented in 1249 and dates from around the middle of the 11th century. Late Romanesque frescoes from the 13th century survive in the main choir and on the right wall of the nave. The frescoes at San Remigio and San Pietro therefore belong to different periods: the 13th century and the late 14th century.

In Corzoneso, the Oratorio di S. Maria del Monastero preserves frescoes dating from the 16th to the 19th century. Nearby are the remains of walls that probably belonged to a hospice of the Humiliati, founded before 1270. This hospice served as a stopping point on the Via del Lucomagno and accommodated travellers crossing the Passo del Nara between the Blenio Valley and the Leventina Valley. Architecture and local history meet here in the story of a route across the pass.

Museum and the history of emigration

The Museo storico etnografico Valle di Blenio is housed in a monumental 16th-century palace built on older walls dating from 1461. Its richly illustrated multimedia archive explores emigration from the Blenio Valley. Topics include the work of chocolatiers, chestnut sellers, ice makers and innkeepers. These different professions give the history of emigration a concrete connection to working life.

Winter activities in the Nara area

The Nara ski area has 30 km of pistes, stretching from Leontica at 900 metres to Bassa di Nara at 2,200 metres. The Scuola Svizzera di Sci Nara offers private and group lessons for adults and children in skiing, snowboarding and telemark. The extent of the pistes and lessons in three disciplines are different considerations when planning your trip: you can take into account both the size of the ski area and the types of lessons offered.

Discover more destinations: Corzoneso, Largario, Leontica, Ponto Valentino, Castro, Cumiasca, Olivone, Ludiano

For the overview of the wider destination: Blenio.