Moghegno and the Grà

This interesting route shows the importance of the chestnut tree in Ticino. In the past, the chestnut was the main staple food, which is why the chestnut tree was also called the bread tree. Between Moghegno and Lodano, there were many chestnut trees. To preserve the chestnuts for the winter, they were dried over the fire for four weeks in the Grà, a drying house. The dried chestnuts were packed in linen sacks and beaten against a tree trunk. The women of the village then removed the chestnuts from the broken shells and, depending on the case, further processed them into flour. The route winds through the narrow streets of Moghegno, a village with a still very rural appearance. Many of these houses date back to the 17th and 18th centuries, and in 1994, remains of a Roman cemetery were even excavated here. An exciting journey into the past to learn more about the people of this valley and their traditions.