Denti della vecchia
An adventurous ridge hike at the Denti della Vecchia, the bizarre limestone towers high above Lugano. From Monte Brè over Monte Boglia along the Swiss border, with a night in one of the Ticino huts.
A scramble up the Sasso Grande
The Denti della Vecchia are a wild row of limestone teeth above the Val Colla, a well-known climbing area in the Ticino south. From Villa Luganese you climb via the Alpe Bolla and the Bocchetta di Brumea into the teeth; the highest, the Sasso Grande, is reached by a very fine scramble (T4+). From there it’s on across to the Capanna Pairola and down to Cimadera.
Tip: For the approach, the western path to the Alpe Bolla is more rewarding than the eastern one. A good tour for mild days in early spring — the walls look like they hold worthwhile climbing routes.
How it went for me
This time we came to the Alpe Bolla from the east — not quite as lovely as the western path of the tour before. But the scramble up the Sasso Grande was a treat, and in T-shirt warmth in March one thing stuck above all: I need to come back to this rock to climb it.