Discovering the nevère of Monte Generoso

The circular nevère route leads from the upper station to the summit of Monte Generoso and to the Nadigh and Génor Alps. In this area, farmers live in old rustic houses during summer, and a peculiarity of Monte Generoso are the so-called nevère: eleven in total along the circular route. These are a kind of limestone refrigerators where in the past, in Ticino, milk was stored to produce butter and cheese. The term comes from the word “snow,” which was used as a refrigerant. The nevère, in their characteristic cylindrical shape, are made of natural stone and are buried about two-thirds underground. In spring, the underground part was filled with pressed snow and ice. In summer, milk cans were stored here. Inside, a spiral staircase allowed access down to the snow level. The route follows the eastern ridge of the mountain to reach the Nadigh settlement (1295 m). The path flattens and runs along a fence of large vertically placed limestone slabs. Under a tree, it is easy to spot a circular structure: one of the eleven nevère present on this path. The nevèra of Génor Caseret has been restored by the Ethnographic Museum of the Muggio Valley (MEVM), is open and visitable. Along the route, other nevère can be observed, some in a precarious state. The second restored and visitable nevèra is located at Génor-Tegnoo, small but perfect with its conical roof. The path gently ascends and reaches the railway; at the fork, you can climb back to the summit or descend to Bellavista (1200 m) and take the rack railway for the descent to Capolago.