I spent five nights based in Como, on the shores of the iconic Lake Como in northern Italy. One of the day trips we did was to drive up into southern Switzerland, the Italian-Swiss border just minutes away from the lake.
While visiting southern Switzerland, we drove up into the alps and to another border crossing between the two countries. The Balcon d'Italia is quite literally a balcony built right on the border with Switzerland, offering some seriously incredible views.
Check out my complete guide to visiting the Balcon d'Italia overlooking Lago di Lugano.
From the Balcon d'Italia, we drove into Lugano for lunch at the California Bakery before our final Swiss adventure of the day.
How to Get to the Ponte dei Salti
The Ponte dei Salti is a half-hour drive north of Locarno and an hour north of Lugano in southern Switzerland.
Visiting the Ponte dei Salti is completely free. There are parking spots along the road, also free, including one parcheggio right next to the bridge.
If you don't have your own wheels, you can also reach the Ponte dei Salti by public bus. The 321 bus with Swiss PostAuto runs from Tenero Stazione directly to Ponte dei Salti in just half an hour. Tenero Stazione is just outside Locarno.
Visiting the Ponte dei Salti
The Ponte dei Salti is truly one of the most idyllic little spots I think I’ve ever been privileged to wander through. Magic seeped out of every stone, fantasies swirling through my head and inspiration dripping from my mind. I felt like we had stepped straight into a Disney film. We also visited in late September, at the end of the day, and somehow managed to get the entire place to ourselves which really only added to the magic.
The Ponte dei Salti of today was first build in the 17th century, although a bridge has existed here since Roman times. It was partially destroyed in 1868 before being rebuilt in 1960 which is how it looks today.
We spotted scuba divers in the incredibly clear waters of the Verzasca River below - seems like a fantastic way to explore this surreal landscape.
There are some darling little restaurants in Lavertezzo and honestly I wanted to just book in for an entire week and spend my days just walking in the woods, writing, reading, drawing and eating comforting food.
And I definitely also insisted on playing a Disney Top 100 Spotify playlist the whole drive back to Como... 😉
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Hi! I’m Jana, a Dutch-German-British-Canadian with a dream of seeing every country in the world. I am a storyteller, photographer and adventurer passionate about documenting and sharing my travels.
