Autumn in Valchiavenna offers endless opportunities for anyone who loves hiking. Among the host of destinations that every year we point up here on these pages, there is one in particular that blends together the appeal of a harsh and still intact nature, along with the opportunity to discover the ancient paths adopted by the "spalloni", the smugglers who over the ages have transported goods between Switzerland and Italy.
 

The destination that we have selected is that of the Bocchetta del Notaro, on the upper ridge of the Italian/Swiss border between Piz d&´Uria and il Sasso Bodengo. Leave by car from Gordona. Take the road open to vehicles that climbs towards Val Bodengo (make sure you have a pass, available for purchase at the beginning of the climb). Having reached the car park at the end of the road (at 1635 metres) leave the car and follow the signs indicating the route towards l’Alpe Notaro, where the bivouac of the same name stands at around 1880 metres. From Bodengo it takes about two hours on foot. On reaching the bivouac climb for a further 200 metres in height when you will reach the 2,098 metres of Bocchetta del Notaro. This section marks the watershed between Italian Val Bodengo and the Swiss valley that rises up from the village of Cama, in the Canton of Grisons.
 

The "bocchetta" or "nozzle" throws up a splendid panorama. In every direction you can appreciate a veritable crown of high peaks as far as you can see and invites you to consider the immense difficulties faced by the carriers along such routes at demanding times of the year, bearing on their shoulders tens of kilos of contraband. Anyone wishing to stretch themselves further can extend the route to take in Lago di Cama, on the Swiss side. It takes just over an hour to reach this magical spot at the heart of the forest&´s greenery. Bear in mind that for the return to Bodengo you will have to go back to the pass and follow the Italian valley all the way down.