Arrive by car in Trasquera (shuttle to Trasquera departs from outside Varzo railway station). Once in the main piazza, take the mule track in the direction of Bugliaga. After passing the Oratory of Schiaffo Dentro, take the paved road for Bugliaga, leave the trail on the right and reach the junction for the Diavolino bridge (formerly called “Ponte della Cresta”). From here you continue to the spectacular “Ponte del Diavolo” (the Devil’s Bridge, initially called the bridge over the Giurva). The bridge, built over a 100 m (325 ft) deep gorge, was built in 1878 with the help of scaffolding made of 110 larch trunks. Once the construction of the bridge was completed, a gigantic fire was set to remove the scaffolding (perhaps the current name of the bridge derives from this infernal image). Continue on the road and just before reaching Bugliaga, leave the “Torre di Bugliaga” stronghold on the right. From the oratory square, go uphill along the F44 route to Balma until you cross the F32 route, through which you descend to “Cima ai Campi”: this is the area where the rare mountain tulip grows. From “Cima ai Campi” continue along the road to the Bugliaga Dentro Agritourism facility. The alpine pasture is also a wonderful vantage point over the Zwischbergen Valley and the peaks of the Simplon triptych: only a few metres separate this secluded and peaceful old village centre, which has now been beautifully restored, from the Swiss border. The route to the “Via delle Prese” and then to Gondo, the gateway to the Canton of Valais, starts here.
The way back largely follows the road that leads back to the centre of Bugliaga. From the oratory in Bugliaga, go back along the way to Trasquera, passing by the Devil’s Bridge.
