Valle Maggia

The Maggia runs about fifty kilometres from the high country down to Lake Maggiore, and the granite is the character of it: the riverbed is pale scoured rock rather than gravel, the water runs green over it and collects in pools that people swim in through the summer, and the villages are built of the same stone with slab roofs. Rustici - old stone farm buildings, many converted - are scattered across the terraces. The valley branches into Val Bavona, Val Lavizzara and Val Rovana, each with its own character. Cevio has the valley museum and a group of grotti carved into a landslide, where wine and cheese were stored in naturally cool rock. The river can rise very fast after storms.

What you actually see

• A granite riverbed - pale scoured rock with green pools between.
• Rustici on the terraces - old stone farm buildings, many restored.
• Grotti cut into rock - the cool cellars at Cevio.
• Three side valleys - Bavona, Lavizzara and Rovana branching off.

When to go

May to September for swimming. A day.

Honest expectations

The river rises fast and dangerously after storms upstream, even in local sunshine - check before swimming and never camp on the bed. Popular pools crowd at weekends. The valley road is busy in July and August. Many rustici are private.

Nearby

Val Bavona branches at Bignasco; Locarno and Lake Maggiore are south.