Hidden Gem in Swiss - Val Verzasca; 瑞士没被发掘的天堂 - 凡塞斯卡山谷

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Recently @pizzapai posted a photo of Zurich, Switzerland. She asked me which place I love the most in Switzerland and want me to post about it. There you go, hehe.

最近@pizzapai放了一张苏黎世，瑞士的照片。我跟他说我喜欢瑞士，但是不是很喜欢苏黎世，因为太‘城市‘了。她问我最喜欢瑞士的什么地方，要我发个贴。哈哈

It reminds me of my free and easy trip to Switzerland back in the year 2014. Wow, it was four years ago! It was a sixteen days trip to Switzerland. “What? Are you nuts? Sixteen days trip purely on Switzerland alone? Sixteen days can cover entire Europe!” Most of the people asked me this question. My reply to their query was simple: Because I am not a fan of touch and go.

I liked free and easy. One of the reasons I enjoyed the most is the planning process. Switzerland being one of the most visited countries, there are a lot of resources you can find on the internet on their places of interest. No-brainer such as Matterhorn, Chateau de Chillon, Jungfrau Region, Chapel Bridge in Luzern, etc. Other than the no-brainers, I normally would include some hidden gems into the itinerary. So, I search through the norm and found Sonogno village. Geographically, it's located in south-east part of Switzerland, near Italy.

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Sonogno village is a municipality in the district of Locarno. It is located in Val Verzasca, surrounded by mountains and nature. Unlike the influx of tourists in other locations, there are not many tourists here. It was so silent and peaceful. The sound of vehicles and noises are not to be heard. You will feel like time just stopped at the village.

回想起2014年的瑞士自由行，眨下眼睛已经是四年前的事了！我们总共在瑞士带了整整16天。很多人给我的反应就是：什么？16天只呆在瑞士？16天可以游玩整个欧洲了！我的回应很简单，我不喜欢到了一个地方就算去过那国家旅行。

我喜欢自由行其中的原因是因为我很享受那安排行程的过程。瑞士很多人都去过，所以在网上找资料都不是问题。采尔马特与马特宏峰，西庸城堡，少女峰地区，卢塞恩的教堂桥，等等。除了以上一般的景点外，通常我都会把一些比较冷门的景点列入行程表内。冷门资料就自然少。这样的旅程才充满期待嘛。找了一段时间终于找到了松诺(Sonogno)。地理上它位于瑞士的东南部，靠近意大利。

松诺村是位于凡塞斯卡山谷，被大自然包围的一个小镇。不像其它旅游胜地人来人往，这里仿佛整个小镇只属于我们。没有任何汽车的杂声，非常宁静。在这个小镇里仿佛时间都停止了。

GETTING THERE

To go to Sonogno village, we took a post bus line 321 from Locarno train station. The journey took around one hour. Sonogno was the last stop. Along the way, you can hop off Diga Verzasca stop and try the famous bungee jump from the dam just like James Bond did in the film Goldeneye. You may also hop off at Lavertezzo stop to see the magnificent Ponte di Salti, a 250 years old double-arched stone bridge leading across the Verzasca River. We decided to head to Sonogno first then back to Ponte di Salti.

怎么去松诺村？
最方便的方法就是先搭火车去到洛迦诺站，然后在站外的巴士亭搭上321号的黄色邮政巴士。行程大概一个小时。在路途上，邮政巴士会经过Diga Verzasca站。如果要尝试像007的电影那样在这个水坝笨猪跳，可以在这里下车。邮政巴士还会经过Lavertezzo站，在这里有座很有历史性的桥，还可以在这里戏水。我们打算先去松诺村，然后才去Lavertezzo。

Sonogno

Once we reach Sonogno and stepped out from the Post bus, we were greeted by the fresh air and sound of nature. The entire town can be discovered by foot. Every single sight in front of us was so beautiful, feel like we will miss something if you blink our eyes.

当我们踏上了松诺村这片土地，就被大自然的声音迷住了。这个村的面积很小，不用一个小时就可以逛完一圈了。但是来到这里不应该走马看花。放慢脚步欣赏这里的所有。这里的风景实在太漂亮了，觉得如果你眨眼睛就会错过一些东西。

The houses in this village, which range from 100 to 300 years old, are uniquely built with stones, even the roof tiles.

这里的房子已有100年到300年的历史了。最特别的地方就是这些房子都是用石头来盖的。

We followed the sound of the river and slowly walk towards it. The water was so clear and freezing cold, but refreshing. We spent quite a while on the riverbank relaxing. One of the advantages for a free and easy trip is that we can stop at a place as long as we want. No tour guide to rush you.

我们随着河水的声音来到了河床。冰冷的河水像只来水一样的清晰，我们情不自禁的喝了很多。哈哈。自由行其中的好处就是想在一个地方呆多久由你自己来决定，没有导游赶。

There was a big playground nearby the riverbank. I was having so much fun on the swing! (Click below for clip)

这里有个很大的游乐场。我也变成老顽童了！（请点击以下的短片）

While we walked to the bus stop, we noticed a bunch of cow feeding on the grass. Perfect opportunity for photography.

我们走回巴士站时，看见一群牛在吃午餐。是个拍照的好机会呀！

PONTE DEI SALTI

We hopped on to the post bus and head to the next destination, Ponte dei Salti (a.k.a. Roman Bridge). This 12 meters high double-arched stone bridge has 400 years of history. Nonetheless, the bridge is as beautiful as it is popular with visitors. If you are not afraid of freeing water, you could dive in the emerald green water of the Verzasca River from the bridge.

Many tourists sit by the rocks and chill

Madonna degli Angeli church is just stone throw away from the Roman Bridge. It was built in 18th century.

罗马桥
我们搭上了邮政巴士来到了Lavertezzo站。目的就是要看这座400年历史的罗马石桥。这座桥高达12米，形状也很特别。这也是拍照的好地方。无论什么角度，这桥也很入镜。如果不怕冷，可以在石桥上跳进河里。照片中可以看见河水的清晰的颜色，多么的美丽。

很多游客喜欢坐在石头上观赏眼前的美景。

这里还有座18世纪的教堂。

Val Verzasca is definitely heaven on earth. I strongly recommend people who are planning their holiday to the beautiful land of Switzerland, do drop by Val Verzasca. Particularly in summer, you can spend at least two days there because in total there are about 22 hiking trails waiting for you to discover.

凡塞斯卡山谷像在地球上的天堂一样漂亮。我个人非常推荐这地点给在去瑞士旅行的人。尤其在夏天，可以在这呆个两三天。因为这里有22条远足路线等你们来探索。

Cheers.

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