recommended route
Multi-stage route
Educational trail - Between the Mountains and the Lake
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Photo: Mariano Berri, Ascona-Locarno Tourism
The Between the Mountains and the Lake educational trail links Dirinella, also the starting point for the mountain trail of the same name, to the railway station in Cadenazzo. The itinerary passes through woods, meadows and villages with enchanting views and panoramas, as well as industrial and agricultural areas and roads, offering an exhaustive insight into Gambarogno and the Magadino plain.
The forty or so themed panels, produced with the help of schools in Gambarogno, tell evocative tales of times past as well as fascinating modern stories. They provide walkers with facts and historical, geographical and scientific information, about long-standing professions and new settlements, as well as parks and natural areas. They also highlight the major local and socio-economic changes of the last 200 years, from the advent of the railway to the canalisation of the Ticino river and the subsequent reclamation of the Magadino plain.
The educational trail, created thanks to an Interreg initiative in 2004 with the first section from Dirinella to San Nazzaro, was extended to Contone in 2017 and as far as the railway station in Cadenazzo in 2019. This extension came about thanks to the Le Terre del Ceneri and La Via del Ceneri, projects envisaged to showcase the historical, cultural and landscape features of the Cadenazzo, Gambarogno and Monteceneri regions, located on the slopes of Monte Ceneri, and to highlight the operation of the rail tunnel at the base of the Ceneri, opened in 2020.
The educational trail is aimed at a broad public: school children, families, people of all ages, and can be undertaken without difficulty in both directions.
Given its length, approx. 23 km, we suggest tackling the educational trail in three stages.
Track types
Start
Destination
Turn-by-turn directions
Dirinella-Caviano-Calgiano-Torcetto-Gerra Gambarogno)-Lubie-S.Nazzaro-Vairano-Piazzogna-Fosano-Vira (Gambarogno)-Magadino-Vira-Lido Magadino-Orgnana-Cavriana-Motto Rabello-Quartino-Contone-Cadenazzo, Stazione
Note
Public transport
Public-transport-friendly
From Locarno: take the boat in the direction of Ascona. Get off at San Nazzaro. Or take the train in the direction of Castione-Arbedo. Get off at Cadenazzo, then take the B 350 bus in the direction of Dirinella to San Nazzaro.Return from Magadino: take the boat to Locarno. Or take the B 350 bus in the direction of S. Antonino, Centri commerciali. Get off at Cadenazzo. Take the train towards Locarno. Get off at the station. Further information: www.sbb.ch
Coordinates
Equipment
- Hiking daypack (approx. 20 liters) with rain cover
- Comfortable and sturdy footwear
- Adequate and durable outdoor clothing in multiple layers
- Telescope sticks if necessary,
- Sun and rain protection
- Snacks and drinking water
- First aid kit
- Penknife
- Mobile phone, headlight if necessary
- Maps
Statistics
- 3 Stages
The first part of the Between the Mountains and the Lake educational trail links Dirinella and San Nazzaro.
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