Cimalmotto-Pizzo Bombögn-Campo Vallemaggia

From Cimalmotto, the trail begins with an ascent, soon passing the last buildings in the hamlet of Cavà before continuing mainly in the shade of tall larches. Once you reach the alpine settlement of Quadrella di fuori, the approach is still fairly long, with little elevation gain until Piano delle Volpi. From there, Bombögn reveals its character. The final section is steep and at times slippery, accompanied by a surprising presence: a long stone wall that seems to climb towards the summit alongside the hiker. Once the summit is reached, the effort gives way to a 360-degree panorama: the view sweeps from the Valle di Bosco to the Valle di Campo, crosses the Cravairola and, on clear days, reaches as far as Mont Blanc.

The Bombögn wall is an extraordinary testimony to the past. Around two metres high and three hundred metres long, it no longer serves a practical purpose today, but tells an important chapter in the history of the local community. In the first half of the 20th century, tens of thousands of seedlings were planted to counter the danger of avalanches and the erosion caused by water, which had triggered the landslide. The presence of numerous goats, however, made it necessary to protect the young vegetation. This led to the creation of an elaborate system of fences and walls, built through a major collective effort. Beyond the summit, the trail descends steeply towards Campo Vallemaggia and crosses Larécc, a discreet alpine pasture now partly reclaimed by the forest, where the remains of old buildings emerge among the trees. It is a final evocative stretch before leaving Bombögn and its history behind.