The Onsernone is a land of forests, water and rocks, and one of the most charming and mysterious valleys of Ticino. On the sunny mountainsides lie little villages where time stands still. Here you can find a mixture of elegant houses built by emigrants who made their fortunes abroad next to humble stone dwellings clinging to the steep slopes, which, with their wooden balconies, remind you of Tibet.

This side valley is much loved by the many artists who have found and still find their inspiration in the silence of the chestnut woods; and it has recently been opened to tourism thanks to the creation of mountain refuge huts, hostels, bed and breakfasts and small hotels. The same thing is true of the neighbouring Centovalli. With its past history of emigration, its inhabitants who put down their roots on its steep slopes and its narrow winding road, this picturesque valley has much to offer the nature lover.

You can discover it along the extensive network of hiking trails, following the mule-track which the peasants once took to the market in Locarno, or, alternatively, taking the Centovallina, the romantic mountain train which connects Locarno to Domodossola in Italy, taking in 83 bridges and 34 tunnels on the way. The valley, which opens out from the sunny Terre di Pedemonte, also has some small cableways, like the one that goes up to Monte Comino from Intragna, or the one that leads to the enchanting village of Rasa, 900 metres above sea level, which can only be reached on foot or by cable-car.

The Centovalli is an area that rewards you with strong feelings, one of those forgotten corners of the authentic rural Ticino, a fragment of a past which is still alive in people's memories.