Valle Verzasca

We left our lovely Italian house on Sunday the 10th and started to drive back to Germany.  After about fifteen minutes of driving, we passed out of Italy and into Switzerland.  Yesterday when we drove to Cannobio, we had to drive around the lake to get there, and one end of the lake is in Switzerland with the rest in Italy.  That means we drove into Switzerland and then back into Italy to get to Cannobio and then did the same on the way back to the house.  This day though, we stayed in Switzerland and didn't drive back into Italy.  

We made a stop on our drive back at a place called Valle Verzasca.  As you can probably guess by the name, it was a valley.  A huge dam sat in the middle of it, holding back a reservoir, and on the other side, a little river cut through the trees and rocks. 

The dam

The reservoir 

The little river cutting through the ground on the other side of the dam

A bungee jumping company had set up camp at the center of the dam, and people were crowded around it, watching customers get strapped into harnesses.  We lingered long enough to watch three people bungee jump.  They stood up on a metal contraption extending over the edge of the dam, spread their arms, and then jumped.  Their white bungee cord unspooled behind them as they dropped.  It looked absolutely terrifying. 

Stone steps cut into the side of the mountain

We went on a hike on one side of the dam.  The dirt path wound its way along the forested mountainside above the valley.  The forest on either side was dim and full of birdsong and chirping insects.  I felt like if I wandered off the path, I'd find myself in another world.  

A town perching on the mountainside

After the hike, we drove farther up the valley to a river that rushed into the reservoir.  The water of the river must have come from snowmelt or ice cap because it was so clear and beautifully blue-green.

Eventually, we left Valle Verzasca and drove back to Germany.  On the way, we drove through the Gotthard tunnel in Switzerland.  The Gotthard tunnel is a 15-km long tunnel worming its way under the mountains.  The bizarre manmade darkness flicked by, marked by electric white, red, and green lights, and eventually we emerged into natural daylight again. 

We arrived back at the b&b in Germany at about seven in the evening.  It was a short but blissful weekend.  I'm thankful and happy to have been able to experience so much, and I'm excited to see what the rest of the summer holds.