Greina

There are places in the Alps where the landscape is so vast, so raw, and so untouched that you feel you have stepped onto another continent entirely. The Greina highland is one of those places. Stretching six kilometres long and one kilometre wide at an altitude of 2,300 metres, this alpine tundra straddles the border between Ticino's upper Blenio Valley and Graubunden, its mosaic of streams, ponds, and tiny marshes protected at national level for its extraordinary diversity of biotopes. Romans and medieval travellers once crossed this plateau; today, well-prepared hikers are rewarded with one of Switzerland's most unforgettable landscapes.

Itinerary: Greina (5h, see map)

Water is the lifeblood of the Greina. It seeps from the ground, carves sinuous streams, gathers in shallow ponds, and feeds miniature marshlands. Old trails criss-cross the plateau, evidence of centuries of transit and summer pasturing since Roman and medieval times. A single human-made marker stands at the heart of the highland: the Crap la Crusch (Stone of the Cross), a boulder topped by a metal cross. During the brief but intense summer, the highland blazes with alpine wildflowers, and close encounters with marmots and other mountain animals are all but guaranteed.

The easiest and most popular route begins at Campo Blenio-Ghirone, where a bus climbs to Pian Geirett at 2,000 metres. From there, roughly an hour's ascent brings you to the Scaletta cabin with its distinctive pointed roof. Just above, the highland opens up in an immense panorama of grey and dark rock, minuscule flowers, mosses, lichens, and water courses winding between boulders. Allow an additional 30 minutes to reach the Greina Pass and another hour to the Crap la Crusch.

A distinctive natural stone arch can be admired on a short detour from the main trail. From Crap la Crusch, roughly 30 minutes of walking leads to the Motterascio plain, carved by numerous streams, just above the namesake cabin. From here, a long, steep descent leads to the Luzzone dam and the bus stop for the return to Campo Blenio (check the schedule).

Three alpine cabins in the region, Scaletta, Motterascio, and Terri, offer room and board. Reservations for an overnight stay are highly recommended.

The bus service between Campo Blenio and Pian Geirett, and between Luzzone and Campo Blenio, operates from the end of June to the end of September.