The day began in Laino with a beautiful chime. When I opened my eyes, the thermometer showed just eleven degrees. However, the sun was already there and promised a fantastic day.

Laino is exactly the kind of place I like to stay in. Small villages are much quieter than big cities. You sleep better, wake up more relaxed and don’t constantly have traffic noise outside the window. However, the downside became apparent in the morning. While you can often get a cappuccino on every corner in larger towns, you have to search for one here. I finally found what I was looking for at a petrol station. Doesn’t sound very promising. But it wasn’t.

Almost every petrol station here has a decent portafilter machine. Plus Italian music, sunshine and the sound of the water nearby. You don’t really need much more for a successful start to the day. The cappuccino gets four out of five cups on the Pawtrail coffee scale. The only flaw with Italian cappuccinos is their size. As soon as you sit down comfortably, the cup is empty again.

After breakfast, we continued towards Lake Lugano. The border between Italy and Switzerland no longer seemed to play a major role today. Sometimes I was in Switzerland, then back in Italy, then shortly afterwards back in Switzerland. At some point I stopped counting.

I liked Lake Lugano straight away. The route led directly along the water again and again. I stopped several times, sat down on a jetty or simply stopped for a moment and enjoyed the view. The water glistened in the sun, the temperatures were pleasant and the weather was at its best.

However, there was an unpleasant scene on one of the narrow through roads. A small motorhome was driving in front of me. The driver steered a little too early in a narrow lane and caught the side window on a house wall. The window was smashed in. Not a pretty sight. A single moment of carelessness is sometimes all it takes, especially on these narrow roads.

The further I drove, the more beautiful the route became. The roads became narrower, the towns smaller and the traffic less. Just the kind of roads I like. A dream for my biker heart. Later I reached Lake Maggiore. Beautiful scenery. Not so much in terms of traffic.

Tourists everywhere, lots of vehicles and a lot of activity. So I didn’t stay on the main roads for long. Instead, I turned off onto small side roads again and slowly made my way up the mountain.

We continued towards Alpe di Neggia via Armio. The pass itself was surprisingly empty. Once I reached the top, however, the exact opposite awaited me. The parking lots were full and many hikers were taking advantage of the beautiful weather for an excursion. From up there, I had another great view of Lake Maggiore.

However, it became difficult again with the food. On the way, I had already discovered spaghetti bolognese for seventeen Swiss francs. That was the equivalent of about twenty euros and spontaneously made me a little less hungry. At the top of the pass, everything was closed. So I just took photos and continued on my way.

Shortly before Locarno, there was another surprise. For the third time, I met the motorcyclist I had met a few days ago in Prad. The same rider, the same bike and the same distinctive windshield. By now I was absolutely sure. I greeted him briefly, but he probably didn’t recognize me again.

Some would probably think that something like that couldn’t be possible. I probably wouldn’t have believed it either. But when you think about it, this area is so beautiful and motorcycle-friendly that it’s actually not that unlikely. Who knows if I’ll come across it again.

Twenty-five degrees and slow-moving city traffic awaited us in Locarno. After the quiet mountain roads, it was a bit of a test of patience. I actually wanted to stop off somewhere. However, the bars I found only served drinks.

Pragmatism won in the end. McDonald’s. Not particularly Swiss. Not particularly Italian. But sometimes you just have to have something to eat.

After Locarno, the route became much more interesting again. The valley became narrower, the mountains closer and the temperatures more pleasant. The road led deeper and deeper into the Val Sambuco. At first I wasn’t sure whether the long detour would be worth it. With every kilometer, the answer became clearer. Yes! 😃

It got quiet up here. Very quiet. Hardly any traffic, hardly any people and instead more and more nature. Lago del Sambuco was already impressive from afar. When I stood on the dam wall later on, it became clear just how big the facility is. The lake looks artificial and technical, but at the same time it blends in surprisingly well with the mountain landscape. This impression was not entirely wrong: Lago del Sambuco is a reservoir whose arch dam is around 130 meters high and 363 meters long. It was completed in 1956.

The higher I got, the closer I approached the tree line. The landscape became more and more alpine. And then they suddenly appeared. Marmots. Several of them. Every now and then one of the animals would scurry across the meadows or disappear between the rocks. For me, encounters like this are a big part of these trips. You experience nature and the animal world in its original form.

The plan was actually to go further up afterwards. My destination was the upper lakes and Lago del Naret. The anticipation was great. The route became more and more beautiful, the landscape more and more impressive. And then there was a barrier. Closed. End of the journey. At least for today. 🥺

That was really annoying. Just when the tree line was slowly disappearing and the landscape was becoming more and more spectacular, I would have loved to see the last few kilometers. Instead, all I could do was look at the barrier and realize that I wasn’t going any further today. So I turned around. If you’re planning to visit the reservoir, you should check the website to see if the road leading there is open.

In the end, the route took me back to Bellinzona. I arrived there in the evening when it was still a pleasant 22 degrees.

Conclusion: Today was not a day of big sensations, but one of small discoveries. Three lakes, quiet villages, narrow roads, marmots and always that moment when you stop and think: this is exactly what I’m on the road for.