Sornico – Cap. Soveltra – Pizzo Campo Tencia (3072m) – Cap. Soveltra – Sornico

We had wanted to this explore this very quiet area of Tessin for quite a while. So it made sense to hike up to the highest mountain of the area Pizzo Campo Tencia (3072m). This mountain is the 21st most isolated mountain in Switzerland – so now you know! Since it is a 12 hour hike up and down we had planned to stay in a very rustic hut…

We parked in the quaint village of Sornico and headed along the beautiful Val di Prato.

After 2 hours we had passed the tiny mountain village of Monte di Predee. Looking back from where we started we could now see the massive dam wall of Lago Del Sambuco.  Built in 1956 the wall has a height of 130 m and holds back 63 million cubic meters of water.

After another 2 hours we reached the Capanna Soveltra – a beautiful stone hut.

It is possible to stay in the Capanna here, but we had planned to stay somewhere a little more rustic – the Corte Mez. This is one hour further up the mountain.

You need to pre-book at the Capanna Soveltra to stay here. It is a tiny self catering hut – take your own sleeping-bag, food, make your own fire and enjoy!

It is as basic as it looks!

The next day is a beautiful blue-sky day and we headed off to the Pizzo Campo Tencia. We needed 3 hours from the hut, never very difficult but care is needed.

And of course, great views from the top!

It’s a long 4-5 hour hike back down, but it was wonderful to head back into the beauty of the greenery.

And finally the quaint Tessin villages!

A long hike, but a great, quiet area of the Alps to visit!