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Ascona |
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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 Veritŕ 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. |
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