Ponte dei Salti

The most photographed bridge in Ticino stands in the village of Lavertezzo, halfway up the Verzasca Valley. The Ponte dei Salti is a Roman-arch pedestrian bridge, built in the 17th century with two spans of fourteen metres each, arching gracefully over the turquoise-green river. Below it, the Verzasca has carved smooth basins and channels in the granite that collect into swimming pools of extraordinary clarity.

The walk from the car park at Lavertezzo to the bridge takes five minutes. The scene is at its best in the morning light, before the tour buses arrive. For a longer excursion, follow the riverside trail upstream to Brione, or downstream toward the dam.

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A story
Ponte dei Salti means "bridge of leaps" — a reference not to the bridge's age but to the swimmers who jump from its parapets into the emerald pools below. On summer weekends, the granite rocks around the bridge become an informal lido, with locals from across Ticino driving up the valley to claim their spot in the cool mountain water.