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Via della pietra - Working the stone

Nature Trail recommended route

Via della pietra - Working the stone

Nature Trail · Bellinzona and Valleys
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    148085_Lavorare_la_Pietra1.jpg
    Photo: Bellinzona e Valli Turismo, Bellinzona e Valli Turismo
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    The Stone was for millennia the construction element of predilection in the alpine valleys of the Southern Alps. Discover the many facets of the natural stone works, the artifacts created thanks to it, as the Man was able to shape it and exploit it.

    easy
    Distance 21.3 km
    6:10 h
    494 m
    602 m
    747 m
    265 m

    This itinerary runs throughout the lower Leventina Valley and part of the right side of the Riviera. The way entirely on the valley floor follows the cycling national route number 3. The pedestrian path between Iragna and Lodrino passing from the "monti" (5.7 km in 3h00) is particularly suggestive because it allows discovering some of the hidden treasures of the Riviera and permits to closely observe the activity of one of the largest quarries in the region. The territory of the Via della Pietra, including the whole Riviera, the lower parts of Leventina and Blenio valleys and the northern part of Bellinzona region, is double-stranded with the stone, both under its purely naturalistic sense and in terms of historical and social aspects related with this natural resource. From an exclusively geological point of view, we are indeed in the deepest core of the Alps. The stone marked profoundly this territory since the Prehistory; it is located since the late Middle Ages along the "Via delle Genti" and is connoted by its linkage with the building stone since the modern era. Considering the volume of quarried material, the Riviera is today the most important extraction region for natural stone in Switzerland. With the construction of the Gotthard railway at the end of the nineteenth century, the natural stone of the Riviera has spread throughout Switzerland. Throughout the country, monuments and public buildings – especially railway stations, banks and administrative buildings – were built and decorated with Riviera gneisses or Castione marbles. The Riviera stone has also crossed oceans, steppes and deserts. Indeed, we can find it for example in New York, in Moscow, in Saudi Arabia or also in the almost inaccessible Kazakhstan and as well in many European countries.

    La Via della Pietra: all the details, the routes descriptions and the insights related to this itinerary:http://www.viadellapietra.ch/.

    Author’s recommendation

    To explore the route, we recommend buying the official maps of the Federal Office of Topography Swisstopo. In addition, the following website map.geo.admin.ch offers constantly updated data.

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    Author
    Bellinzona e Valli Turismo
    Update: August 16, 2023
    Difficulty
    easy
    Overall difficulty
    easy

    Derived from the technical difficulty and the stamina requirements.

    Experience
    Landscape
    Highest point
    747 m
    Lowest point
    265 m
    Best time of year
    Jan
    Feb
    Mar
    Apr
    May
    Jun
    Jul
    Aug
    Sep
    Oct
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    Track types

    Asphalt 18.85%Forested/wild trail 19.07%Path 24.02%Road 38.04%
    Asphalt
    4 km
    Forested/wild trail
    4.1 km
    Path
    5.1 km
    Road
    8.1 km
    Show elevation profile

    Tips and suggestions

    Montagnepulite: This project was born to promote an effective management and sustainable use of mountain huts in Ticino, and in particular the litter management. The responsible management of litter in the mountains is a matter of common sense. We can all contribute: www.montagnepulite.ch

      

    Learn about the other two routes of the La Via della Pietra project:

    Living with the stone: path in Blenio Valley, preferably to be walked by foot (13 km, 4h30), is a circular route among historical monuments, traditional vineyards and rupestrian archaeology.

    The nature of stone: between Castione and Biasca, this itinerary allows discovering some of the most remarkable natural sites of the Riviera.

    Coordinates

    SwissGrid
    2'710'572E 1'140'011N
    DD
    46.402343, 8.876510
    DMS
    46°24'08.4"N 8°52'35.4"E
    UTM
    32T 490507 5138759
    w3w 
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    Get there by train, car, bike, or on foot!

    Equipment

    • Hiking boots
    • Sun cap
    • Water-bottle
    • Sunglasses
    • Sun cream
    • Hiking map
    • Camera

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     These suggestions were generated by our system
    Difficulty
    easy
    Overall difficulty
    easy

    Derived from the technical difficulty and the stamina requirements.

    Distance
    21.3 km
    Duration
    6:10 h
    Ascent
    494 m
    Descent
    602 m
    Highest point
    747 m
    Lowest point
    265 m
    Cultural/historical interest Linear route Family-friendly Geological highlights

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