Overview
Cima di Fojorina as seen from Bocchetta di San Bernardo |
Cima di Fojorina, also
Cima di Fiorina, is an easy hiking mountain in the north of the
Prealpi Lombarde. It is located on the border between Italy and Switzerland high above
Lago di Lugano and
Lago di Como, both of which can be partly seen from the summit. In fact,
Cima di Fojorina has more than just one summit, which sometimes leads to it being referred to in the plural form: Cime di Fojorina.
The summits are composed of limestone, much like its neighbours
Denti della Vecchia. However, here the limestone rocks rise only for about a hundred metres out of the surrounding grass and forest slopes, which makes the unfit for any climbing. Moreover, the rock is very brittle and breaks as you look at it.
The mountain is located on a ridge which accompanies the eastern branch of
Lago di Lugano to its north and which consists of
Monte Bre,
Monte Boglia,
Denti della Vecchia and
Cima dell'Oress before ending in its highest mountain,
Cima di Fojorina. To the north it is separated from
Monte Segor by
Passo San Lucio, in which a former customs station has been transformed into a mountain hut. Also,
Capella di San Lucio, a small chapel can be found there.
With its 1809m,
Cima di Fojorina is well below the 2000m mark. However, to reach its summit you have to scale more than 1000m. The closest (in terms of elevation) trailhead is at
Bogno at 950m, located at the very end of
Val Colla. Two trails lead to the top, one from the north-east, from
Passo San Lucio, the other from the west, from
Capanna Pairolo, passing Cima dell'Oress. The mountain commands good and far reaching views from Grigna in the east to Monte Rosa in the west.
360° Summit Panorama
360° summit panorama from Cima di Fojorina |
Getting There
Cime di Fojorina seen during the approach from Passo San Lucio
We started our hike to
Cima di Fojorina from Bogno at the end of
Val Colla, which requires a longish drive from Locarno, where we stayed.
- Leave the Gotthard Motorway A2 at the exit Lugano Nord.
- drive through the city, following signs to Canobbio, Sonvico and Val Colla.
- Follow the road to its very end at Bogno.
- Alternatively you can also start from Cimadera or Certara, both also located at the end of Val Colla.
Red Tape
The mountain is located on the international border between Italy and Switzerland. Though there are no customs controls anymore, carrying an ID is mandatory.
Accommodation
There is plenty of accommodation to be found on the web, mainly apartments or holiday homes. However, Tessin / Ticino has become very expensive so you will have to carefully plan your vacation. Most expensive are the cities (Lugano, Locarno, Ascona) but also the villages on the shores of the lakes can burn deep holes in your pockets. In general the higher up and the better the view the more expensive.
A good alternative is agritourismo - farm holidays, either in the valleys or in one of the spring / autumn settlements at an elevation of around 1000m.
You can find accomodation of any type using the following url:
http://www.ticino.chWeather Conditions
Maps & Books
Maps
- Digital Maps
- Regular Maps
- Malcantone
Carta Escursionistica 286 T
Ufficio Federale di Topografia Swizzeria
1:50.000
ISBN: 9783302302867
Books
- Tessin
M. Hempel
Kompass Guidebook WF997
Kompass Verlag
ISBN: 3-85491-771-6
- Tessin
H. Bauregger
Rother Verlag
ISBN: 978-3-7633-4078-1
- Tessin
E.E. Hülsler
Bruckmann Verlag
ISBN: 978-3-7654-3653-6