We awoke early and, since the air was cool and clear from the previous night's thunderstorm, decided that we should take the earliest bus up the Verzasca valley for a hike. This valley is noted for its rocks carved by jade green glacier water and its rustic buildings. The Ponte dei Salti double arched bridge is quite a tourist attraction. We didn't stop but got a good photo from the bus.
We reached the village of Sonogno after an hour's ride. It was a pretty place but no shops were open when we arrived at 8:45 am. We hiked up to Efra Falls which the Untour Dream Book said was worth the short hike.
At the falls, we were surprised by what we first thought were wild chamois, the Swiss mountain goats. But as we got closer, they just turned out to be a bunch of domestic goats which evidently meet everyone who comes to the falls.
We hiked for three hours from Sonogno to Gerra. The trail had a gentle descent along the river and through meadows where there were the "rustici", stone buildings built without mortar. It was a delight to hike in the cool air after the heat of the day before.
We sat at the bus stop in Gerra to have our picnic lunch and be sure that we caught the next bus back to Locano. They only come by every two hours and we didn't want to have to wait that long.
Back in Locarno, I came upon a real estate ad for one of the "rustici" in Frasco, a village we passed by on our hike. You can pick up one of these for only 330,000 Swiss francs ($321,000).
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