The one-time fishing
village of Ascona in Canton Ticino, Switzerland’s “sun lounge”,
nestles in a sunny bay on Lake Maggiore. It is now a popular yet
exclusive holiday resort with some of the most famous hotels in
Switzerland and first-class restaurants. It is also
Switzerland’s lowest town, at only 196 metres above sea level.
The old town centre, Borgo, clusters around the church of San
Pietro e Paolo, a 16th-century columned basilica, its high
bell-tower the symbol of Ascona. A dense network of alleyways,
with shops of all kinds, runs directly down to the Piazza at the
lakeside promenade and a beautiful view of Lake Maggiore. The
promenade (Lungolago), with its rich merchants' houses, arcades
opening out on to the lake, and sun-soaked cafés, is considered
the most beautiful section of Lake Maggiore for strolling, an
asset even on sunny winter days thanks to the mild climate.
At the start of the 20th century, a colourful colony of artists
came together to live on the slopes of Monte Verità above Ascona
and preached the benefits of returning to nature. This developed
into an experimental arena for alternative lifestyles and art
forms, which attracted revolutionaries, anarchists,
philosophers, writers, vegetarians, poets, dancers and painters
from all over the world. Psychoanalyst Karl Gustav Jung, writer
Hermann Hesse, artists Alexej Jawlensky and Marianne von
Werefkin are just some of the well-known personalities who lived
in Ascona. Nowadays, the resort boasts a beautiful 18-hole golf
course, tennis courts, a large open-air swimming pool, lovely
parkland walks, surfing, sailing and other water sports, as well
as cruises on Lake Maggiore. The rugged nearby Ticino side
valleys, such as the Maggiatal and Centovalli are heaven for
hiking and biking fans.
Pictures:
Brissago
Islands