by Eurocity trains run frequently north of Milan through the Simplon Tunnel to Switzerland. On the way to the tunnel, those fast trains speed by Lake Maggiore, offering beautiful views of the Burmese Islands. For trains bound for Switzerland, the last station stop in Italy is the small Piedmont town of Domodossola. The station here is very impressive, befitting the once important route into Italy, with all the paraphernalia of customs and immigration. From Domodossola, it’s just another half hour through the Simplon Tunnel to Brig, the attractive Swiss town that guards the northern end of the Alpine tunnel, before trains continue to Berne, Basel and the north.
If you don’t mind missing the gorgeous scenery around the border between Switzerland and Italy, traveling the Simplon Tunnel route into Switzerland is a good idea. The darkness of the Simplon is no different from the darkness of the London Underground, although the Eurocity trains that ply the Simplon route are far more comfortable than anything the tube has to offer. But those not in a hurry can do much better by turning right at Domodossola, then heading east into the hills to find a beautiful backdoor route into Switzerland using the rural cross-border railway.
Into the hills
“Turning right” at Domodossola means going down from the main station to an underground platform from where the train departs for Locarno. A curiosity about this mountain railway is that both ends are underground, but the 30 miles in between offer a feast of fine scenery and no long tunnels whatsoever. In fact, some argue that the line east of Domodossola is on a par with the famous Bernina railway, which is the only other narrow gauge railway that crosses the Italian-Swiss border.
The mini-railway from Domodossola is called the Vigezzina, but over the Swiss border it is usually called the Centovalli. Two companies – SSIF on the Italian side and the fondly known Swiss Fart – collaborate to run around nine trains a day from Domodossola to Locarno. The journey takes just under two hours on a rollercoaster ride through rugged Alpine terrain. The Swiss border is about two-thirds of the way on, and from here the railway crosses into Switzerland before descending to Locarno on the eastern arm of Lake Maggiore.
On boarding I am surprised to find a welcoming brigade of black-clad chimney sweeps on their way to a convention at Santa Maria Maggiore, the highest village on the railway to Locarno. As we swung out of Domodossola underground station into the sun, some of the spazzacamini tell me the annual trip to Santa Maria Maggiore is a homecoming ritual.
It’s a journey of jaw-dropping cliffs, stunning gorges and some adventurous bridges
“It’s an opportunity to go back to communities in the hills that sent chimney sweeps out to the farthest parts of Europe,” says a fair-faced young woman in the usual black professional outfit. I make a mental note to learn more about the history of chimney sweeps and then focus on the passing landscape as we climb in a series of dramatic zigzags up through tiny Creggio to Trontano and beyond. The railway rises rapidly to follow the southern side of the Melezzo valley, then returns to the valley floor. There are narrow neck views back to the Pennine Alps behind Domodossola, but the real landscape stars are closer: a gorgeous mix of oak and chestnut woodland and mountain streams interspersed with glimpses of handsome villas.
The pilgrim trail
Our train stops for no reason at Marone, a small place in the middle of a forest a few miles east of Throntano. The station building has neat green shutters. I’m having an Adlestrop moment, the smells and sounds of this Piedmontese post instead of the willow herb and the blackbird in Edward Thomas’s poignant poem. Goodbye to be found from the chimney sweeps at Santa Maria Maggiore, where it is generally downhill all the way to Locarno. But this is a journey full of moods and dramatic changes in landscape. A drizzle of light comes in as we approach Re, where a party of nuns (and myself) leave the train. The rain does not prevent me from stopping to walk through the beech woods and visit the Santuario della Madonna del Sangue, a place of pilgrimage since 1494, when a fresco of the Nursing Madonna hit a stone and began to bleed.
When I later boarded a train at Re for the onward journey to Locarno, I am asked to pay a supplement of €1.50. “It’s only charged on these Vigezzo Vision trains with panoramic windows,” says the train manager. With rain all around us and low drifting banks of cloud, this seems a little ridiculous, but I pay up and am happily rewarded with the return of the sun and a fine rainbow as we cross into the canton of Ticino Switzerland.
Ticino style
From the border it’s another 40 minutes down the valley to Locarno; it’s a journey of jaw-dropping cliffs, spectacular gorges and some adventurous bridges over the numerous side valleys that inspired the name Centovalli (100 valleys). But as we approach Locarno there is a sense of returning to the more obscure terrain, and the luxuriant vegetation that greatly adds to the character of Switzerland’s southernmost canton. We glide past orchards and vineyards, and as we approach Locarno there are ornamental palms. Suddenly, with a blare on the train’s horn, our Vigezzo Vision train plunges into a mile-long tunnel that leads into the destination underground.
Milan to Basel via the Vigezzina and Treno Gottardo takes twice as long as the Eurocity direct but the travel is slow at its best.
I will stay overnight in Locarno and the next day take the wonderful Treno Gottardo via the classic Gotthard line to Basel, a route that (in the opposite direction) was featured in 2022 as the Guardian rail route of the month.
The Eurocity directly connects Milan to Basel via the Simplon Tunnel in just over four hours. But to make the most of the trip, turn right at Domossola and follow this wonderful mountain route. It takes twice as long from Milan to Basel via the Vigezzina and Treno Gottardo, but it offers an intimate relationship with Alpine landscapes and is much more rewarding – slow travel at its best.
Travel facts
If you’re doing this journey as part of a wider European rail journey, the Interrail pass is probably the best option: four days’ travel within a month costs from €283 (discounts for young people and seniors). Tickets from Domodossola to Locarno can be bought at the station and cost €20, which allows for any stop along the way (the €1.50 supplement for the Vigezzo Vision trains is payable by all travellers, regardless of the length of the journey and the ticket type). Timetables and more information about fares are available at vigezzinacentovalli.com. Santa Maria Maggiore has a chimney sweep museum: the Museo dello Spazzacamino.
Nicky Gardner is co-author of Europe by Rail: The Definitive Guide: the 17th edition available from The Guardian Bookshop from mid-February, and signed copies are available direct from the publisher.
