Via Calanca, Stage 1/2

Between vineyards and chestnut forests, an old mule track leads to the once prosperous and influential Santa Maria. You come across drystone walls, ruins and stone buildings from various centuries on the way to the Calanca Valley. You follow the wild Calancasca river between rock faces and waterfalls.

The twelve-kilometre hike begins on the valley floor at the Grono, Paese bus stop. Before long, the mountain path climbs steeply through the forest to Castaneda. The ascent continues between houses and open meadows. Near Mottan, the route reaches its highest point at around 940 m.

Shortly afterwards, the trail passes through Santa Maria in Calanca. Above the village, the tower and the church of Santa Maria Assunta, whose existence has been documented since 1219, stand on a long, steeply sloping plateau. Shady stretches of forest then alternate with open hillsides, with the route continuing predominantly on mountain paths.

After further ups and downs, the route reaches the Laghetto di Buseno and runs directly along its shore. Soon afterwards come the houses of Buseno and the church of Santi Pietro e Antonio Abate. The final section descends through extensive woodland to Arvigo, where the hike ends at the Arvigo, Paese bus stop.