Boccia al Bosco

Useful Information

Here you will find a variety of useful information.

Days and hours.

The Boccia al Bosco course is always open. The game stations are located along a trail accessible to everyone, day and night. However, the sale of boccia balls is suspended from mid-November to mid-March. Large sections of the trail are sunless and frozen or covered with snow during this season, and some of the paths are undergoing maintenance.

Helpful tips:

In summer, the first part of the route in the morning is very sunny. If the day is hot, it's better to postpone your arrival until the afternoon, when your walk will be more pleasant. You could, for example, leave around 2 p.m. and take advantage of the morning to take a dip in the river instead.

Purchasing the ball

Balls can be purchased at the following points of sale:

- Bakery El Prestin, Sonogno

- Info shop, Sonogno

- Familienhotel Campagna, Frasco

- Vending machine 24/7, Gerra Verzasca (G Pay, V Pay, Mastercard, Maestro, Visa, TWINT, Apple Pay, Samsung Pay)

- Food stores, Brione Verzasca

- Vending machine 24/7, Brione Verzasca

- Gelateria Verzasca, Brione V. Ganne

- The kiosk at Lavertezzo

- Grotto al Ponte, Lavertezzo

- Albergo diffuso/Restaurant, Corippo

- Info Shop Diga, Gordola

- Tourist office, Tenero, Ascona, Brissago, Avegno, Vira Gambarogno.

We recommend checking the opening hours of the sales points.

Age

The trails should be done under adult supervision. Difficult to give an age, it depends on the child, but the younger they are, the more help they will need and the Gerra-Sonogno route is perhaps more suitable for young children. At some points on the trail, it is also recommended that an adult hold their hand. 

Accessibility

Brione Verzasca-Lavertezzo

The trail has four access points: Brione Verzasca Piee, Brione Verzasca Ganne, Brione Verzasca Motta and Lavertezzo. The first section has the greatest difference in altitude and is perhaps the most challenging, both because of the type of stations and because of the topography, which makes a sheer drop to the river. The other sections are level and have a few slight uphill climbs. However, the route is not suitable for traveling with a stroller.

The time it takes to complete the entire route varies, depending on the time you spend at the stations. As a general rule, we recommend allowing 4-5 hours to complete the entire route.

Gerra Verzasca-Sonogno

The trail has four access points: Gerra Verzasca Al ponte, Frasco Campagne, Frasco Chiesa and Sonogno. The trail is level and have a few slight uphill climbs. However, the route is not suitable for traveling with a stroller.

The time it takes to complete the entire route varies, depending on the time you spend at the stations. As a general rule, we recommend allowing 4 hours to complete the entire route.

Transportation

Brione Verzasca-Lavertezzo

There is a PostBus stop at each of the four access points: Brione Verzasca Piee, Brione Verzasca Ganne, Brione Verzasca Motta and Lavertezzo Paese. From the Brione Verzasca Motta stop, you need to allow 5-7 minutes of walking along the road to reach the trail. There are also pay parking lots (a day pass costs CHF 10.00), but capacities are limited. See the following link for more information: http://fondazioneverzasca.ch/aree-verdi/

Helpful tips: as long as the number of people in the valley is limited, you can leave your car in Lavertezzo (at the La Monda parking lot), take the PostBus to Brione and then walk down on foot, finding your vehicle upon arrival. You can also leave your car in Brione (at the Piee parking lot) and go up to get it by taking the PostBus, but in this case, it's more difficult to make sure your arrival in Lavertezzo coincides with the public transport schedule. In the summer months, after 9.30-10 a.m., finding a parking space can be difficult; so, especially in July and August, we advise not arriving by car. The number of buses running in the Verzasca Valley have been increased since the beginning of 2021 and we strongly recommend that you travel by bus. For bus schedules, please visit www.ffs.ch. In addition to public transport, we inform you that there is an e-bus service on call, which can be booked via app; for more details, see https://www.verzasca.ch/it/verzasca-mobile/.

Gerra Verzasca-Sonogno

There is a PostBus stop at each of the four access points: Gerra Verzasca Al ponte, Frasco Campagne, Frasco Chiesa and Sonogno. From the Gerra Verazsca Al ponte stop, you need to allow 5-7 minutes of walking along the secondary road to reach the trail. There are also pay parking lots (a day pass costs CHF 10.00), but capacities are limited. See the following link for more information: http://fondazioneverzasca.ch/aree-verdi/

Helpful tips: as long as the number of people in the valley is limited, you can leave your car in Sonogno (at the Paese parking lot), take the PostBus to Gerra verzasca Al ponte and then walk on foot, finding your vehicle upon arrival. You can also leave your car in Gerra Verzasca (at the Formighera parking lot) and go down to get it by taking the PostBus, but in this case parking spaces are limited and it's more difficult to make sure your arrival in Sonogno coincides with the public transport schedule. In the summer months, after 9.30-10 a.m., finding a parking space can be difficult; so, especially in July and August, we advise not arriving by car. The number of buses running in the Verzasca Valley have been increased since the beginning of 2021 and we strongly recommend that you travel by bus. For bus schedules, please visit www.ffs.ch. In addition to public transport, we inform you that there is an e-bus service on call, which can be booked via app; for more details, see https://www.verzasca.ch/it/verzasca-mobile/.

Water

As with all hiking trails, it's a good idea to stock up on water before starting out, especially during the summer months. However, existing fountains are indicated on the map.

In the Brione Verzasca-Lavertezzo trail are less fountains. However, we can tell you that the water at the mill station, which is exactly halfway along the trail, is spring water.  

Dogs

Dogs are allowed on the trail, as long as they are kept on a leash.

Picnic and grill areas

All along the trail from Sonogno to Lavertezzo, there are several picnic areas (see map). In some of them, there are small grills, but there is no wood available; you may have to collect your own wood in the forest.

Attention: please check whether open fires are forbidden! In that case, it must be respected!

Bathrooms

The two Boccia al Bosco trails follows along a normal walking trail, where bathrooms are not provided. In cases of urgent need, we remind you that paper towels should not be left on the ground, not even in areas off the trail. Please respect the forest.

Off the hiking trail there are some public toilets or 'toi-toi' (see map).