The Verzasca Dam sits at the mouth of the Verzasca Valley, about 25 kilometres north of Locarno. Built between 1961 and 1965, the double-arch concrete dam is 220 metres high and holds back a deep reservoir in the narrow gorge. By any measure it is impressive engineering; what made it famous worldwide is a different kind of jump.
Below the dam, the Verzasca River runs clear green through gorges of polished granite. The valley stretches north through a succession of stone-built villages — Lavertezzo, Brione, Sonogno — each more remote than the last. Day-trippers come to swim in the river's deep green pools; serious walkers do the full valley traverse on the Sentierone trail. The bungee operation runs seasonally from the dam crest.