Cima di Fojorina / Cima di Fiorina

Overview

Cima di Fojorina as seen from Bocchetta di San Bernardo

Cima di Fojorina, also Cima di Fiorina, is an easy hiking mountain in the north of the Prealpi Lombarde. It is located on the border between Italy and Switzerland high above Lago di Lugano and Lago di Como, both of which can be partly seen from the summit. In fact, Cima di Fojorina has more than just one summit, which sometimes leads to it being referred to in the plural form: Cime di Fojorina.

The summits are composed of limestone, much like its neighbours Denti della Vecchia. However, here the limestone rocks rise only for about a hundred metres out of the surrounding grass and forest slopes, which makes the unfit for any climbing. Moreover, the rock is very brittle and breaks as you look at it.

The mountain is located on a ridge which accompanies the eastern branch of Lago di Lugano to its north and which consists of Monte Bre, Monte Boglia, Denti della Vecchia and Cima dell'Oress before ending in its highest mountain, Cima di Fojorina. To the north it is separated from Monte Segor by Passo San Lucio, in which a former customs station has been transformed into a mountain hut. Also, Capella di San Lucio, a small chapel can be found there.

With its 1809m, Cima di Fojorina is well below the 2000m mark. However, to reach its summit you have to scale more than 1000m. The closest (in terms of elevation) trailhead is at Bogno at 950m, located at the very end of Val Colla. Two trails lead to the top, one from the north-east, from Passo San Lucio, the other from the west, from Capanna Pairolo, passing Cima dell'Oress. The mountain commands good and far reaching views from Grigna in the east to Monte Rosa in the west.

360° Summit Panorama

360° summit panorama from Cima di Fojorina

Getting There

We started our hike to Cima di Fojorina from Bogno at the end of Val Colla, which requires a longish drive from Locarno, where we stayed.

• Leave the Gotthard Motorway A2 at the exit Lugano Nord.
  
• drive through the city, following signs to Canobbio, Sonvico and Val Colla.
  
• Follow the road to its very end at Bogno.
  
• Alternatively you can also start from Cimadera or Certara, both also located at the end of Val Colla.

Red Tape

The mountain is located on the international border between Italy and Switzerland. Though there are no customs controls anymore, carrying an ID is mandatory.

Accommodation

There is plenty of accommodation to be found on the web, mainly apartments or holiday homes. However, Tessin / Ticino has become very expensive so you will have to carefully plan your vacation. Most expensive are the cities (Lugano, Locarno, Ascona) but also the villages on the shores of the lakes can burn deep holes in your pockets. In general the higher up and the better the view the more expensive.

A good alternative is agritourismo - farm holidays, either in the valleys or in one of the spring / autumn settlements at an elevation of around 1000m.

You can find accomodation of any type using the following url:

http://www.ticino.ch

Weather Conditions

Maps & Books

Maps

• Digital Maps
  • www.swissgeo.ch
  
  
• Regular Maps
  • Malcantone
    Carta Escursionistica 286 T
    Ufficio Federale di Topografia Swizzeria
    1:50.000
    ISBN: 9783302302867
    

Books

• Tessin
  M. Hempel
  Kompass Guidebook WF997
  Kompass Verlag
  ISBN: 3-85491-771-6
  
• Tessin
  H. Bauregger
  Rother Verlag
  ISBN: 978-3-7633-4078-1
  
• Tessin
  E.E. Hülsler
  Bruckmann Verlag
  ISBN: 978-3-7654-3653-6

Images

View Cima di Fojorina / Cima di Fiorina Image Gallery - 7 Images