Walserweg Gottardo, Stage 5/14

From the valley floor at Fondovalle, there is a narrow path up through the wild mountain forest and then across alpine meadows. A sudden encounter with the deep blue Lago Superiore within a hollow in the landscape. Up to the Hendar Furggu mountain pass through blocky landscape, and then a gentler descent over alpine pastures and through sparse forest to Bosco Gurin, the only Walser village in Ticino.

The cross-border hike begins in Ponte Formazza on the Italian side, far from public transport; the nearest stop is more than seven kilometres away. Initially, the route descends through open terrain, with a lengthy section away from the marked hiking trail network. The sustained ascent then begins.

Just over halfway through the 13-kilometre route, the trail reaches Lago Superiore and follows its shore. Shortly afterwards comes Hendar Furggu, known in Italian as Bochetta di Bosco. At around 2,420 m, the highest point lies in the area of the pass, close to Martschenspitz. From here, a white-red-white waymarked mountain trail crosses the border and descends gradually towards Bosco Gurin.

Towards the end, the houses of the village come into view. The route passes Osteria delle Alpi and ends in Bosco Gurin after just over five and a half hours; the Bosco/Gurin, Paese stop is only a few steps away.