For decades, the Scudellate Ostello has been a reference point for school groups and groups of friends wishing to discover the Muggio Valley region. After major renovation work on the building, the hostel is now suitable for anyone who wants to enjoy a convivial stay, surrounded by nature and characterized by a modern and youthful structure. The Scudellate Ostello is the ideal place for groups and school parties. You can book the ostello for special occasions such as birthdays, parties, sports retreats, mountain schools, team-building trips and group travel. Depending on your needs and the number of participants, the Ostello team is ready to present you with individual offers. In the picturesque village of Scudellate, located in the upper Muggio Valley, is the Scudellate Ostello. The Ostello has recently been refurbished to accommodate families, couples, backpackers, groups of friends, school groups and work colleagues who want to enjoy a stay on the slopes of Monte Generoso. The surrounding landscape is suitable for all lovers of nature and local food and wine. From here, it is possible to set off on various excursions on foot and by mountain bike between Switzerland and Italy. A dense network of paths allows you to admire the typical flora and fauna of the region.The Osteria Manciana, located just a few meters away, is happy to delight guests of the Ostello, from breakfast to dinner, with typical regional dishes and drinks. The Ostello offers two types of rooms. There are three rooms with shared bathroom and shower and one private room with its own bathroom. On the first floor of the Ostello there is a brand-new terrace with a unique view of the valley. Thanks to the youthful and versatile furnishings, guests can spend time together, relax or enjoy the breathtaking view while enjoying a local aperitif. On the ground floor there is another terrace, but this is covered and suitable for activities even if the weather is not favorable. The common room is located on the ground floor. Here guests will have the opportunity to meet, get to know each other and share their stay. As well as for socializing, this area is suitable for relaxing, working or holding meetings. Board games, books and a guitar are at everyone’s disposal. There is also the possibility of listening to music both inside and outsidethe building. There is also a big screen for filming or presentations. Keep an eye on the Ostello’s social profile, @OstellodiScudellate, to find out about activities and events. The building was built as the Scudellate school between 1907 and 1909 when it was inaugurated by the entire population of Scudellate and Erbonne. In fact, it initially housed the children of the two villages, which are still in Switzerland (Scudellate) and Italy (Erbonne). As many as 51 pupils between the ages of 6 and 14 attended the school every year. The infrastructure built by the local population (see original list of benefactors of 1909) remained available as a kindergarten and school from its creation in 1909 until 1965. In the upper Muggio Valley there were also other schools in Roncapiano and Muggiasca. From 1965 to 1982, the current Ostello was mainly used for local festivals, which were very popular with the population of the entire upper Muggio Valley and beyond. On 22 August 1982, the building was given a new lease of life, and after partial renovation, the Scudellate Ostello was opened and remained open all year round. From 1982 to 2019, the sole manager was Mr Guerino Piffaretti, who managed the facility in an exemplary manner, hosting several generations of young people from schools in the Mendrisiotto area and beyond. Since 2019 the infrastructure has been taken over by the Fondazione per la salvaguardia dell’alta Valle di Muggio (Foundation for the Protection of the Upper Muggio Valley), which has assembled the old facilities with a third adjacent building (former Cooperative), creating24 beds in 4 rooms as well as new and separate toilets. The refectory and kitchen have also been modernized and made more usable not only for guests but also for meetings/presentations etc.. Finally, there has been built a magnificent terrace of approx. 35m2 offering a spectacular view over the entire Muggio Valley. On 23 July 2021, the new Ostello was inaugurated. It will be managed as part of the Albergo Diffuso of Monte Generoso with the adjacent Osteria Manciana, the Foresteria di Scudellate and the Capanna dell’Alpe Caviano.

The project that led to the realisation of the Panorama Lodge “La Casa dei Gelsi” was born in 2018, when the Zanini family decided to take over a large building on the edge of the village of Scudellate, at the top of the Muggio Valley, to renovate it as part of the development of the Albergo Diffuso del Monte Generoso. The building was built by the families of Gabriele and Antonio Cereghetti in 1890, when mountain farming families still exploited the terraces as the only agricultural resource to survive the difficult living conditions in the valley and was inhabited by their descendants until 2018. The old residence borders the old Swiss Guards’ (customs) house and is located along the path leading to the Italian border. A path that was trodden by many people during and after the Second World War, carrying goods and bringing with them joys and sufferings that marked an era and gave Scudellate a small role in their history. The work to renovate the building lasted four years and was particularly challenging. The Zanini family’s objective was to maintain the historical character of the house, but the main difficulty was the interior spaces, organised with two vertical flats each consisting of a myriad of small rooms. For this reason, the renovation could only be partially conservative, while various internal parts were restored maintaining the parameters and materials but realised with the knowledge of our time. In particular, all the exposed stone walls built at the end of the 19th century by the Cereghetti brothers have been worked on and now enhance the interiors of the ‘Casa dei Gelsi’. The large building overlooks a garden and terraces once used for agricultural purposes, which the Zanini family decided to reconstruct and enhance using materials used for the historical construction of the building, such as stone from Monte Generoso (Moltrasio stone), chestnut wood, etc. The large garden now houses five large mulberry trees and also a vegetable garden, while a large organic vineyard has been created on the various terraces, where there are also various species of native fruit trees.

For our hostess Simona and her team it will be a pleasure to tantalize the tastebuds of their guests with seasonal and regional recipes and dishes that are always prepared with local products. In keeping with the Ticino tradition, the kitchen recommends the ever popular “Ossobuco” from Piera with polenta from “Mulino di Bruzella”, as well as the braised beef (“Brasato”) and the the flat or tall “Formaggini” that is produced in the valley. Cheeses can be enjoyed including the Ticino cheese “Formagella”, that is made nearby on the slopes of Monte Generoso. Finally, you can taste the local sausages with the excellent bread baked in the valley, as well as the wines of Mendrisiotto. The tradition of typical dishes will also be carried on by Simona according to family recipes including the famous osso buco with polenta “della Piera.” This and more await you in a typical and cozy environment. We have carefully selected for you different wines at reasonable prices from the different wineries in the Mendrisiotto. Of course, the Merlot dominates, but there are also various assemblages and wines that are stored in barriques to emphasize the bouquet of the wines. Our wine list also contains some representative wines from neighboring Italy, from Barbaresco to Sangiovese and finally Prosecco and Spumanti, made according to the classic method (Champagnoise), as well as, of course, with the common aperitifs, our grappas and nocinos (walnut liqueurs). The name of the Osteria refers to the family name Manciana, the maiden name of the grandmother “nonna Agnese”, who has run the Osteria since the 1950s when she took over the work that her mother Giuditta had started in the 1930s. From 1970 until today, her daughter-in-law Piera has taken care of the entire management of the restaurant; she has always welcomed all visitors warmly and has cooked for thousands of guests with passion over the years. The “osso buco con polenta della Piera”, a dish whose recipe remains a secret and has now been continued by four generations, remains famous. Simona, Piera’s daughter-in-law, will take over the management of the Manciana after the renovation, maintaining the direction and traditions that have shaped this historic osteria of the Valle di Muggio and Monte Generoso region over the years. From 2021 the Osteria will be able to offer its guests a large room for 40 people and two terraces for around 15 people, including a new one with a view of the valley. The Osteria is a typical mountain inn, which has adapted to the progress and changes of the visitors over the years but has retained its character as a daily meeting point for the residents of the Muggio Valley and those passing through. In the Osteria, farmers, bricklayers, hikers and seasonal workers who returned from central Switzerland after the Second World War, border guards who lived in the village and soldiers in times of war always enjoyed meeting each other. In the 1960s smugglers who carried their goods in “bricolle” (jute sacks full of cigarettes) to Italy, also took a stop there. Even today the adventures of the “spalloni” (smugglers) are told who tried to escape the border guards in order to bring their “bricolla” to safety. For almost 100 years the MANCIANA was a reference point for the village and the visitors, who once traveled for commercial and now for tourist reasons, between Switzerland and Italy, Como Lake (Italy) and Lugano Lake (Switzerland). Hospitality and tolerance were and will remain a hallmark of the Manciana.

Molto cortesi e competenti, hanno venduto la nostra casa in tempi brevissimi occupandosi di tutto.