Little Engine That Could

A scenic railway between Switzerland and Italy reveals Alpine valleys and car-free villages lost to time.

- Taras Grescoe

BELOW The Centovalli Railway crossing a viaduct in Intragna, Switzerland.

THE FIRST TIME I took the Centovalli Railway, it was a fluke. I was traveling through Europe, and accidentally boarded the wrong train. To my pleasant surprise, I found myself on one of the most beautiful railroads on the continent, a little-known line linking the remote valleys and villages of southern Switzerland and northern Italy.

From inside the compact cream-and-blue carriages, I glimpsed bridal-veil waterfalls, cable cars, and stone bridges arching over deep chasms. By the end of the two-hour detour, I vowed I would return for a more leisurely visit.

A year later I was back. And as a lifelong train buff, I was determined to take my time. With about 15 departures a day between the Italian town of Domodossola and the Swiss city of Locarno, it’s possible to use the Centovalli as a hop-on, hop-off service at any of the 33 stops along the way. My plan was to disembark whenever the spirit moved me, stay overnight in nearby hotels, and follow well-marked trails into chestnut groves and beech forests. This slower pace would allow me to explore some of the “hundred valleys” that give this corner of Europe its name.

My journey began at Domodossola’s unusually grandiose station, where I arrived early to get a good seat on the 10:26 a.m. departure. Part of the charm of the Vigezzina-Centovalli Railway, as it’s officially named, is that you’re never quite sure what kind of train you’ll be on. Some are old, with Agatha Christie–era compartments and squealing wheels. Some, including those introduced for the railway’s centennial in 2023, have large windows and bicycle storage, and gleam like Swiss watches. That morning, a modern, trapezoid-shaped train called the Vigezzo Vision pulled up, and I managed to snag a shotgun seat next to the conductor’s cab.