Shopping facilities

* A small shop in the village is open all year round in the mornings from Monday to Saturday (in the summer season also in the afternoons). Here you get a strange mix of 70% discount goods, 15% vegan and 15% local products. Special mention should be made of the excellent 'Pane della Nonna', which is best reserved the day before. As the general quality of the products unfortunately leaves a lot to be desired, I recommend bringing good food with you or buying it in the valley. Good shopping options are the Coop in Cavigliano or the huge Coop in Losone.

* A small curious bakery at the entrance to Berzona is only open on Mondays, Thursdays and Saturday mornings. You will find there fine baked goods, especially the sultana yeast bread.

* There is also an ATM and a small post office in the village.

Places of interest

* The Bagni di Craveggia at the top of the valley, about 1 hour's walk from Spruga are a quirky place. Plans to use the place for tourism on a large scale have been abandoned. What remains are a few strange pools where you can bathe all year round at a water temperature of 27° C. The place is already in Italy. The way is worthwhile, the place too (even if the bathing always remains unsatisfactory, not warm enough in winter, too warm in summer).

Hikes

* The footpath 'Via delle Vose' leads from the car park in the village about a hundred metres past the Casa Tessino over the Isorno to Intragna. As a comfortably developed old mule track (and station path), this is a wonderful approx. 2-hour hike without any major climbs through wonderful woods and meadows. From Intragna, buses take you back to Loco.

* An equally lovely footpath (almost a stroll) leads from Auressio along the old valley road (slightly below the new one) to Cresmino Funivia. From there the bus goes back to Loco. The highlight is the former epicentre of the Art Brut artist Armand Schulthess (his monograph can be found in the library).

* There are numerous, further hiking possibilities, but we have not done them yet.

Places to eat and drink

* The curious 'Caffe della Posta' in the centre of Loco is a symphatic place at any time of day or year. Locals and tourists alike meet here for coffee, aperitivo (or dinner in the summer season, specialized in delicious polenta dishes). Always worth a visit!

* The Ristorante 'La Pergola' in Auressio is also open daily all year round. They bake a really good wood-fired pizza there. It takes about half an hour to walk there from Loco. Perfect to whet the appetite.

* A wonderful place to stop is the 'Ristorante della Posta' in Russo. Outside under the arcades you almost feel like you're in an Italian village. The food is also very good.

* There are other restaurants in the valley, but we haven't tried them yet.