The Unfamiliar Green Oasis
Famous writer Max Frisch made Onsernone Valley his home back in 1964. He liked the idea of living within nature’s nest for its abundance of fresh air, calmness, and stillness, and the surroundings inspired his tale, ‘Main in the Holocene’. Amazingly, this piece of land that shares a topography similar to Singapore has managed to retain its unique characteristics for future generations to enjoy, an effort of the Locarnese National Park Project.
“Technically, you are now standing on two continents: Africa and Europe. Because of tectonic plate movements, a collision occurred with both continents that led to the fold up of a high mountain range, known as the Central Alps,” says Giovanni, a renowned meteorologist in Switzerland, as he pokes his hiking slicks into the ground while we climb up Salei. “Anticyclones form from air masses cool down to temperatures lower than their surroundings, which causes the air to contract slightly, making the air denser. Because of this, the humid air mass that comes from Italy makes the region moist and this results in dense rainforest.”
Salei is easily accessible, and a fun place to spend the day. From Vergeletto-Zott. a tiny four-seater cableway takes passengers up to Alp Salei for a panoramic view of the deep canyons and Amazon-like forest. The hike is easy and the trails are well paved with routes that smoothly ascend. Wild grass line the path and larch trees slope over the forest floor. It is as close I can call to a walk in the park with the exception that these park grounds are 2,000m above sea level and adjusting to the high altitude will take some time. We reach our final destination, Pond Salei, in no time at all. It lacks an ethereal sparkle under the sunlight but there is a deep sense of serenity and achievement when we see it.
Ancient villages where people still live and work today will be part of the future Locarnese National Park and these will serve as a one-stop cultural centre for visitors.
One fine example is the Farina Bóna Mills in Vergeletto, which produces Farina Bóna, a traditional corn flour made from Zea corn. The corn is first toasted then finely ground into powder and used to enhance flavours of food. A familiar smell of popcorn fills the air here, where a modern industrial coffee grinder is used to produce Farina Bóna. It is highly likely that Ilario Garbani, the owner of the mill, is the only one left in the world to produce this corn flour. Ilario started his mill out of a school project that soon turned into a business opportunity. But instead of focusing on making a profit out of an archaic tradition, Ilario uses the mill to educate visitors and lays the foundation of how Farina Bóna has played an integral part of Onsernone’s history.
Where to Stay
Built in 1780, Palazzo Gamboni is set in a bucolic location that overlooks Onsernone Valley. The charming country house was bought by the citizens’ community of Comologno and converted into a small hotel for travellers in 1996. The charming house has its original exterior façade and its interior is filled with antique furniture and contains details that reflect the history of the building. There are two wings to the hotel: one has modernly furnished rooms, while the other wings’ rooms follow authentic traditions. Book rooms in the latter for a bona fide experience.