Valle Verzasca

I love seeing the places you discover, Lola, and this one looks like a pippin.

I'd love to know how it works out...

Can't be of much help. I did the Valle Verzasca as a day-trip via Postbus from Locarno. It was manageable even though I was actually staying in Lugano. My visits were decades ago and this must certainly have changed, but near the top of the valley was a rustic eating establishment that served plates of air-dried beef and local cheeses. Maybe that will still be an option somewhere in the valley.

The little waterfalls were a lot more impressive in late May than in the summer; it seemed that the water flow had diminished greatly. My trips both occurred before we saw the obvious effects of global warming, and I also remember that it got rather chilly during the summertime trip by the time we got up to the top of the valley. It was an overcast day.

The valley is pretty. I believe it's one of the then-off-the-beaten-path spots I learned about from the New York Times before Rick published his first book.

I have been there twice. If you don't have time, I suggest you skip it. The Italian-speaking region buses don't run on time like clock work as in the German speaking areas. Also, skillful photographers make this place appear to be more magical than it actually is. Don't bother staying there. It's a small area. Do a day trip from Locarno. Happy travels.

We do have the time; 5 days between landing in Milan (we will spend that night there) and the day we need to be in Bressanone to meet our hiking group. And I do want to see Sonogno, more than the river and bridge at Lavertezza. But looking at the Postbus schedule, it does appear we would be better off doing a daytrip from Locarno, as the bus mainly runs in the morning and late afternoon, not during mid-day. So we could ride all the way to Sonogno, have a look around the village, and hike back down as far as we like, then catch another bus the rest of the way back to Locarno.

https://www.postauto.ch/en/file/232638/download?token=G4RNbvjw

The Locarno-bound bus heading down valley comes along hourly (with one skip) from mid-afternoon til evening.

https://www.postauto.ch/en/file/232614/download?token=Moa4iOpT

I notice the schedule says “Tempo di Virgil approssimativo” confirming your warning about the lack of punctuality.

A day trip makes more sense indeed!
Do mind that it will take a while to go from Locarno to Brixen/Bressanone, I estimate about 6 hours. Since you have several days, and Locarno does not deserve more than 2 IMO, you might want to stop in, say, Lake Garda to break the journey.
Otherwise, spending the night in Milan upon arrival does not seem necessary, unless you want to visit Milan of course.

Thank you, Balso. We will be arriving in Milan in the evening, after a long flight from the US West Coast (Seattle to London and London to Milan), so we will be tired and ready for dinner and then bed. And we do want to see more of the city than we saw last time, when we had tickets to La Scala and only spent one night there. I particularly want to see the Duomo and go up on the roof, so we will probably take a mid-afternoon train to Locarno, arriving there in time for hotel check-in.

I have looked at the route to Bressanone and know that it is 5-6 hours from Locarno. There is one route via Lugano which looks interesting. . . I will wait until later to figure that part out, as the trip is still a year away, and schedules and plans can change.

Balso, thank you for suggesting Lago di Garda for an overnight on the way to Bressanone..

We have been to Malcescine before, but this time it would be easy to stop in Desanzano, since the train goes there. We could see Sirmione and the Grottoes of Catullus, as well as the Roman villa and mosaics in Desanzano. And I found a lovely hotel that is a much better value than the Locarno options (or Milano). So we can stay one night in Milan upon arrival, then 2 in Locarno (I agree with you that is enough), and 2 in Desanzano . Then on to Bressanone and our 10-day hiking tour in the Dolomites. I am happy with this plan—-just have to wait a year before we go.