Anzano combines a distinctive hillside setting with traces of a long history of settlement and several described routes through Val Malvaglia. When planning your trip, you can bring together the landscape, historic village centres and different tours—from a stroll through the ville to longer hiking and biking routes.
Hillside setting and historic ville
Anzano lies at an altitude of 1,350 metres, halfway up the sunnier right-hand side of the Val Malvaglia. The village faces southeast and stretches across a broad, grassy hillside terrace on the slopes of Cima di Piancabella. From here, you can look out over the valley floor near the artificial reservoir of Madra. Anzano is one of the five surviving historic ville of Val Malvaglia. A stroll through the surviving ville and past farmhouses with slate roofs offers a glimpse of the valley’s rural cultural landscape.
The former importance of these settlements is also reflected in local histories: until the mid-20th century, Anzano was one of the five ville inhabited year-round. Historically, Anzano and Dandrio shared a communal bread oven. Anzano was also home to a school for the ville of Val Malvaglia and the parish priest’s residence.
Oratory and art from Anzano
The Oratorio di San Bartolomeo, dedicated to Saint Bartholomew, is documented from 1581; its frescoes are in the style of Hans Jakob Breutter. The history of the village goes back even further: Anzano is first mentioned in 1405 under the name “de Mezano”. A 16th-century Nordic altarpiece from Anzano depicting the apostles is now kept in the museum in Lottigna. Alongside the historic ville, this artistic history reveals another facet of the valley, in addition to its landscape and trails.
Hiking: two routes with different profiles
The Sentiero delle Ville runs from Dagro and Ciavasch via Anzano and Dandrio and back again. It follows a paved road and takes in the valley’s main historic village centres. It is classified as a T1 hike, with 150 metres of elevation gain and a duration of four hours. This gives you an idea of the time and elevation involved before adding the route to your day’s plans.
A longer tour is the Sentiero dei monti from Dagro to Capanna Quarnei: the route is listed as taking around four hours and 30 minutes, with 700 metres of elevation gain and a T2 rating. Compared with the Sentiero delle Ville, the significantly greater elevation gain is a key difference to consider when planning. Trail conditions and ratings can change; check these details before setting out.
Cycling through Val Malvaglia
The Valle-Malvaglia bike route starts in Dagro, first heading to Anzano and then climbing to Cusiè. It is 18 kilometres long; the listed duration is two hours and 30 minutes, with 551 metres of elevation gain and loss each. The route profile comprises 7.5 kilometres of asphalt, 6 kilometres of unpaved trail and 4.5 kilometres of path. You can consider the figures for time, elevation and surface together, rather than using the total distance as your only planning measure.
The route also includes a high-altitude trail offering extensive views over Val Malvaglia and the surrounding mountains. It runs mainly south-southeast and passes typical small settlements and conifer plantations. This gives you clear differences to consider when choosing: the Sentiero delle Ville is described as a four-hour T1 hike with 150 metres of elevation gain, while the bike route is listed as 18 kilometres with 551 metres of elevation gain in each direction. The Sentiero dei monti, in turn, is rated T2, with a duration of around four and a half hours and 700 metres of elevation gain.
Further regional highlights
The Strada degli studenti was built between 1934 and 1939 to connect the ville of Val Malvaglia. In the wider region, the Furbeda waterfall lies just beyond Dandrio; Val Malvaglia is also included in the Swiss Inventory of Landscapes and Natural Monuments of National Importance. The road into Val Malvaglia improved access to the valley, but it is so narrow that only one vehicle can pass at a time. Take this bottleneck into account when planning your journey.
Dandrio’s milling tradition may also be of interest if you’re visiting in July: during a festival, the mill with its horizontal waterwheel is put back into operation, rye flour is milled and bread is baked. Check before travelling whether the festival is taking place in the year of your visit. This way, you can plan around the specific tours and historic features that shape a stay in Anzano.
Discover more destinations: Aquila, Campo, Dangio, Torre.
Return to the main travel overview: Blenio.
