Val Morobbia Hike: From Iron Mines to the Famine Towers
Nestled south of Bellinzona, the Sopraceneri region of Ticino has some of Switzerland’s most dramatically landscapes. If you are looking for a hike that perfectly balances a scenic trek with a deep-dive into Swiss history, then look no further than the Giubiasco - Val Morobbia - Sant’Antonio loop, extending into the historic iron heights of Carena…
TREK LOGISTICS: A TWO-STAGE HIKE?
According to Komoot, completing this entire circuit in one go is a pretty big effort: it clocks in at over 33 km with a grueling elevation gain/loss of +/-1,950 vertical meters. Attempting to tackle this in a single day is a physical effort that leaves little time to appreciate the immense history underfoot and the beauty of the route. Instead, this trek is highly recommended to be broken down into two distinct stages: lower and upper valley, just as I did - and use the Postbus to bypass some of the early hill climbing.
Even over two days this can be quite a long route. I will describe all of the interesting history you could potentially see, and suggest that you use a planning tool such as Komoot or AllTrails to define your own path. Try to avoid overlaps, and use the Postbus to skip the uphill section at the start of day 2. Note that most of this trail is an easy T2 even if going uphill, but on the way down after the dam, parts are more challenging at T3 and some sections have wires to aid your descent.
The trail transitions from Mediterranean vineyards to alpine wilderness on the Italian border. It serves as an open-air museum detailing Ticino’s pre-industrial mining, 19th-century geopolitical crises, and 20th-century industrial awakening…
ROUTE MAP
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[San Jorio Pass / the Smugglers' Route]
|
[Carena / Le Miniere & Il Maglio] <--- Appx. 1,000m
|
[Sant'Antonio / Vellano] <--- Upper Valley Peak (c.820m)
| ^
Via del Bosco (Right Flank) | Via dell'Acqua (Left Flank)
| |
[AMB Penstock / Pipeline] +--- [Lago di Carmena]
[Famine Towers (#1-5)] /
\ /
\ /
[Ponte Vecchio] -------------+
\ /
+-- [Giubiasco] +
~~~
TRAILSIDE EVOLUTION: 4 ERAS OF TICINESE HISTORY
To understand the structures you encounter on this hike, it helps to understand the distinct historical eras preserved along the trail:
1. The Age of Iron and Fire
Centered around the upper mountain outposts, this ancient era saw miners extracting iron ore from deep within the valley, while carbonai (charcoal burners) manufactured fuel on smoky timber mounds to fire the industrial blast furnaces.
2. The Era of Secret Passes
Positioned on the high ridges, this period was characterized by localized, nighttime smuggling. Mountain runners bypassed border authorities to traffic everyday goods between Switzerland and Italy.
3. The 19th-Century Geopolitical Crisis
Born out of regional uprisings and economic blockades, this era saw the Swiss federal government step in to fund massive defensive public works. Displaced Swiss workers were employed to construct a network of stone towers, saving the local population from widespread starvation.
4. The 20th-Century Industrial Awakening
This era marked the transition into modern clean energy. Engineers tamed the volatile, mountain torrents by building a hydroelectric reservoir, channeling raw alpine water to generate grid power for the growing plains below.
STEP-BY-STEP TRAIL DESCRIPTION
(Note that some of the following trails may be indicated by small “Scenic Trail" markers on the path, such as the Via dell’Acqua.)
1. The Gateway: Ponte Vecchio & the Roads of Antiquity
Your journey begins at the bustling, palm-lined Piazza Grande in Giubiasco (or the nearby train station). As you head eastward into the narrow bottleneck entrance of the valley, you encounter your first major historical landmark: the Ponte Vecchio sulla Morobbia (the Old Bridge over the Morobbia).
Explicitly mentioned in the official Statutes of Como dating back to 1335, this incredibly ancient stone arch bridge was a vital segment of the Via Francesca (or Via Maestra). This was the primary transit artery connecting the medieval fortress city of Bellinzona over the mountains toward Monte Ceneri and the ports of Magadino.
For centuries, the citizens of Giubiasco relied entirely on this bridge just to cross the turbulent Morobbia river to attend mass at the nearby Romanesque church of San Bartolomeo. Today, it marks the transition from urban valleys to ancient hill trails.
(Note: If you want to skip the initial uphill trudge out of Giubiasco, you can use public transport. The local PostAuto Bus Line 212 departs right from the train station and winds up the narrow mountain roads. You can hop off at Sant'Antonio or even Carena to enjoy a mostly descending high-line trek back down).
2. The Ascent into the Forest of Bread
As you push up the trail, you soon plunge into a thick canopy. This is the realm of the sweet chestnut, a tree that acts as the cultural and ecological soul of the region. For centuries, before the arrival of the potato or easily accessible grain, the chestnut was known as l'albero del pane (the bread tree). It single-handedly saved the rural population of Ticino from seasonal starvation.
Locals harvested the spiky-shelled fruits to grind into flour for pasta, bake cakes, and dry out over slow-burning wood smoke in small stone structures called ‘gra’. As you push through the beautifully redeveloped "Il Meriggio" chestnut grove, you are walking through a centuries-old agricultural inheritance.
The Story Behind the Statues
The smooth, abstract statues you encounter on the route are part of a series of artistic wooden sculptures strategically placed along the local trail systems of the Bellinzona and Val Morobbia region.
The Style (Minimalist Anthropomorphism):
These figures are intentionally carved to look completely minimalist and fluid - capturing the bare essence of a human form (head, torso & legs/feet) out of raw tree trunks, but polished until the wood is completely seamless and rounded. They are designed to blend into the surrounding nature, looking almost like woodland spirits sprouting directly from the earth.
The "Il Meriggio" Connection:
Several of these wooden installations are placed along the paths near the "Il Meriggio" chestnut grove and the forest trails connecting Sant'Antonio down toward the lower hills. They serve a dual purpose: acting as creative waypoints to guide hikers along the trail markers, and celebrating Ticino's deep connection to forest woodwork.
The Concept:
Because this entire valley relies on the history of trees - whether it was the bread tree chestnuts keeping locals alive, or the carbonai chopping timber to burn on the poiatt clearings - these smooth, featureless wooden "guardians" are placed there to silently honor the human labor that has shaped the Val Morobbia forests over the centuries.
3. Fire, Ore & Secrets: Carena & "Le Miniere"
Pushing all the way to the absolute apex of the valley brings you to Carena, an isolated mountain outpost sitting at nearly 1,000 MASL. Today it feels like a quiet, rustic paradise, but follow the signposts for "Le Miniere" (The Mines) and "Il Maglio" (The Water-Hammer) to step straight back into a loud, smoky, pre-industrial landscape of iron mining and smelting.
Here you will find the fascinating, partly restored stone ruins of the Maglio and Fornace - an expansive industrial complex built in 1792. This site housed a large blast furnace and a hydraulic water-hammer that ran on the river’s power to shape heavy iron bars. The entire operation was abruptly abandoned in 1831 after a devastating, possibly intentional fire. Just a short detour from the ruins lie the entrances to the iron mines themselves, where miners chiseled deep into the rock face.
To fuel the furnaces, specialized professionals called carbonai (charcoal burners) lived isolated in these forests, manufacturing charcoal right on the slopes. They cleared flat, circular terraces in the woods, stacking timber into precise, geometric domes known as a poiatt (or puiat). They covered the wood with spruce twigs and damp earth to restrict oxygen, letting it smolder for up to three weeks.
What to look for today:
If you look closely along the forest floor on the flanks near Carena and Sant'Antonio, you can still spot these iazze del carbone - distinctively flat, circular terraces where the soil remains thick with black carbon residue, completely resisting thick undergrowth. As well as some modern recreations…
Carena also holds a second secret. The high ridges above the mining ruins lead straight to the San Jorio Pass, a historic border crossing into Italy. Throughout the 19th and early 20th centuries, this valley was a hotbed for nighttime smuggling. Local runners called spalloni strapped heavy burlap backpacks (bricolle) to their shoulders, illegally trafficking tobacco, salt, sugar, and coffee across the high alpine ridges under the cover of darkness.
4. Harnessing the Torrent: La Via dell’Acqua to Sant'Antonio
Heading down the left flank of the valley, your route overlaps significantly with La Via dell’Acqua (The Water Way). This portion of the trail documents Ticino’s transition into 20th-century clean energy.
The centerpiece of this stretch is the Lago di Carmena, a striking hydroelectric reservoir tightly wedged into the rugged river gorge. Built in the mid-20th century, the dam and its accompanying infrastructure modernized the valley, taming the wild Morobbia stream to power the growing economy of Bellinzona below. Following the red-and-white trail markers, you will pass educational panels detailing the engineering of the Morobbia hydroelectric system…
A Hidden Water Highway
Near the Lago di Carmena reservoir is a fascinating piece of hidden engineering. A small opening in the rock is a surface access point or inspection hatch for the galleria d'adduzione (water supply tunnel).
The 4-Kilometer Tunnel:
In 1903, long before the modern Carmena dam was constructed, engineers hand-blasted an incredible 4,022-meter-long tunnel straight through the solid mountain.
How it Works:
Instead of water traveling in a pipe on the surface, the natural river torrent is caught upstream, directed inside this subterranean mountain tunnel, and flows freely under gravity directly through the mountain. It travels deep beneath the forest trail, crosses valleys via a hidden aqueduct bridge (ponte canale), and eventually reaches the subterranean loading chamber right above the penstock pipe you will see later by the highest Famine Tower…
Why a Landslide Changed It:
Between 1949 and 1951, a massive landslide threatened the whole system. Engineers had to entirely rebuild a 1 Km section of the tunnel, boring it even deeper into a geologically safer part of the mountain right around the area where the reservoir sits today.
Continuing past the reservoir, you arrive at Sant'Antonio, a picturesque mountain community sitting at roughly 820 m above sea level. Its historic stone houses offer an idyllic setting to pause for water or a rustic Ticinese lunch at a local grotto, all while taking in spectacular views looking back across the sprawling Magadino Plain toward Lake Maggiore.
Why there are Warning Sirens are Positioned in the Area
Water Alarm System (Allarme Acqua):
These sirens are specifically designed to broadcast a distinct, low-pitched warning signal rather than a standard emergency wail. They exist to warn the local population in the rare event of an impending dam failure, a severe infrastructure breach, or a controlled emergency flash-release of water from the reservoir. (I have heard this warning once, it’s pretty scary.)
The "Water Danger" Tone:
If activated for a real emergency, these sirens emit twelve deep, continuous, low-pitched tones lasting for 20s each, separated by 10s breaks. The signal explicitly tells anyone inside the valley basin to immediately evacuate the low-lying river floor and move to high-ground safety assembly points.
5. Hunting Towers & the Iron Pipe: The Descent via Camorino
From Sant'Antonio, you cross over the Morobbia stream to navigate the right side of the valley along a shaded forest trail known as the Via del Bosco. As you break through the high canopy and begin your descent toward Camorino, the trail shifts dramatically. You transition from the cool, damp mountain air into the sun-drenched, heat of the tiered hillside vineyards. Here, 19th-century military strategy directly collides with modern engineering…
Why so Many Virgin Mary Shrines?
The massive concentration of Marian shrines in Ticino stems from several deeply intertwined historical, geographical, and social factors:
1. The Catholic Identity and the Counter-Reformation
While northern and western Switzerland embraced the Protestant Reformation under figures like Calvin and Zzwigli, Ticino remained fiercely Roman Catholic. Heavily influenced by neighboring Lombardy and the powerful Archdiocese of Milan, Ticino became a stronghold for the Counter-Reformation.
During the 16th and 17th centuries, the Catholic Church aggressively promoted devozione mariana (Marian devotion) as a visible, emotional counterweight to Protestant theology. Erecting images of the Virgin Mary on churches, private homes, and mountain trails became an active statement of faith.
2. Spiritual Protection in a Dangerous Alpine Landscape
Historically, life in alpine valleys like Val Morobbia was grueling and unpredictable. Travelers, farmers, woodsmen, and charcoal burners faced constant environmental threats: avalanches, catastrophic landslides, lightning strikes, flooding rivers & steep, treacherous trails.
Because the Virgin Mary was viewed as the ultimate protector and intercessor, locals built these shrines at precise points of high danger - such as sharp trail switchbacks, mountain passes, bridges, or forest bottlenecks. Passing a shrine gave travelers a physical place to pause, pray for safe passage, or offer a prayer of gratitude on arriving safely.
3. Ex-Votos: Monuments of Personal Gratitude
A significant number of these edicole votive were built as ex-votos - monuments constructed by individuals or families to fulfill a vow or express gratitude for a perceived miracle or divine grace (grazia ricevuta). If a family survived a plague outbreak, if a soldier returned home safely from foreign military service, or if a child miraculously recovered from a deadly illness, the family would hire local artists to paint a fresco of the Virgin Mary in a small stone alcove on their property or along the public trail.
4. Community Anchors and Waypoints
In past centuries, these shrines acted as local landmarks and social markers. They served as community meeting points, geographical boundary markers between neighboring alpine communes, and places where local religious processions would halt to pray during liturgical feast days. Before modern street lighting existed, the tiny oil lamps or candles kept burning inside these shrines provided faint, welcoming navigation lights for anyone walking the dark valley paths at night.
On the Way to the Camorino
First, you will cross paths with a massive steel condotta forzata (hydroelectric penstock pipe) slicing vertically down the mountain like a giant silver ribbon. Operated by the Azienda Municipalizzata di Bellinzona (AMB), this pipeline carries high-pressure alpine water from an upstream tunnel system at the Ponte di Moneda (621m) up into a hidden loading chamber on the high Piano dei Cavalli terrace.
From there, the water plunges down an 880-meter long visible steel line on its way to the main turbines on the Giubiasco plain. The deep, low hum of water rushing under immense pressure right beneath your feet adds an unexpected industrial soundtrack to the trail.
Running directly alongside and across this massive pipe is a dedicated, steep thematic trail loop called the Sentiero dei Fortini della Fame (the Famine Towers Trail). Built between 1853 and 1854 under Gen. Guillaume Henri Dufour, the famous Fortini della Fame (Famine Towers) are heavily spread out and camouflaged along the forested ridge.
Up close, these imposing, circular dry-stone structures are architectural marvels, featuring narrow loophole windows designed for riflemen. Finding all five circular stone towers requires following a specific, winding path:
Torre 5 - Al Pian di Bur:
The highest, most isolated tower sitting on the mountain crest. Remarkably, it sits right next to the AMB pipeline and is used today as a tool shed and maintenance outpost for the hydroelectric technicians!
Torre 4 - Al Sass del Camosc:
Built directly onto a rugged, rocky ridge where the trail gets a bit steeper and requires careful footwork.
Torre 3 - Ala Pelera:
A beautifully preserved tower tucked deeper into the shaded forest paths.
Torre 2 - Ai Munt:
Stepping out of the woods, this tower sits directly in the middle of steep, tiered Merlot vineyards, offering a spectacular panoramic view of the Magadino plain.
Torre 1 - Ai Scarsitt:
Located lower down near the edge of the communal road, fully restored and easily accessible.
Because these towers were built to absorb a displaced workforce fleeing political expulsion from Lombardy, they served as a vital 19th-century public works program to save local families from starvation. Passing the final tower, the trail drops sharply through the beautifully manicured hillside vineyards of Camorino, guiding you gently past the historic Grotto Ponte Vecchio.
Here, you can relax under the deep shade of four massive linden trees. Sitting at a traditional granite table next to an old-school bocce ball court, you can celebrate completing your loop with a cold gazosa (local Ticinese lemon soda) or a well-earned plate of local salametti and alp cheese.
From the grotto, it is a flat, easy walk back down into the Piazza Grande of Giubiasco, or the train station, completing an incredible, time-traveling loop.
Where to Eat on the Route
The traditional eateries (grotti and osterie) positioned along the route function as excellent endpoints or rest stops for the two stages:
Stage 1 Dining Options (Giubiasco to Carena)
Osteria Ritrovo dei Passeggeri: A welcoming rustic mountain guesthouse featuring a gorgeously positioned panoramic terrace.
Caffè Ristorante della Posta: Situated at the absolute apex of your uphill trek (~1,000 meters), this cozy, casual spot makes a perfect final rewarding stop for Stage 1.
Stage 2 Dining Options (Carena to Giubiasco)
Grotto San Martino: Nestled quietly on the hillsides as you descend through the vineyards, this family-run establishment has been operating since 1980. It features an expansive garden and is locally legendary for its massive, expertly charred wood-fired grills.
Grotto Ponte Vecchio: Positioned directly at the historic 14th-century river bottleneck under the deep shade of four majestic, ancient linden trees. It offers a classic stone-bench outdoor dining area and an old-school bocce ball court.
(Pro-Tip: Ticino's rustic grotti run on highly seasonal hours (some close entirely between Oct and May, or on Mon/Tues). Booking your outdoor stone tables a day in advance is highly recommended during warm weekends.)
This route was hiked in two parts by the author on the 18th of Jan. 2020 & the 5th of Nov. 2022 - I would recommend going in Spring to Autumn to avoid the snow. See my other articles for hikes in the local area. Contact me by email for photos or to ask questions…
