Monte Generoso

Comment (Automatic translation in english)

Today marks the 120th anniversary of the Monte Generoso Railway, and you can travel on it at the original fare of CHF 8.00 return. Vintage trains are also in service, though they are now only used on rare occasions such as this. In particular, there is a steam locomotive with a panoramic carriage dating from 1890 and a diesel locomotive from 1993.
We therefore take the opportunity to head up to the restaurant, where our special trip to Orimento begins; instead of going up and then down as usual, we do the opposite. Of course, it is also possible to follow this route starting from Orimento, which is accessible by car, and from there climb to the summit.
As mentioned, we set off from the hotel and soon reach the summit of Monte Generoso. We then descend a few metres and take the path that turns north and runs along the ridge on the Italian side. Once we reach Cima della Piancaccia, we turn right and descend to Barco dei Montoni. From here, it is possible to head straight to Orimento, but we prefer to climb Monte Orimento first. However, from Alpe Bol onwards, the path is not very visible and you also need to climb over a few fences to reach the summit. At Orimento, even though the path is marked on the map, you have to cross private property because the whole meadow is fenced off.
From Alpe, we return to the road and head first west and then south to Alpe Pesciò, and from here we continue until we reach an altitude of 1,455 metres from the east.
Here, as expected, we encounter the Bisbino horses, a semi-wild herd that was moved here just a few days ago from the slopes of Monte Bisbino, where the space necessary for their survival was no longer guaranteed. Here, however, there is plenty of grass, and in winter there will be the option of moving them to Lanzo d’Intelvi until the following spring.
We continue our walk south-west and finally climb back up to the Monte Generoso station, where our hike ends.