On Lake Maggiore's shore, this Italian-speaking town has palm-lined promenades, 16th-century churches, and colorful buildings. The medieval Old Town leads to a lakeside plaza.
Ascona sits along Lake Maggiore's northern shore in Switzerland's Italian-speaking Ticino region. The village's narrow streets lead to a waterfront promenade lined with cafes under palm trees. You can ring the bells in the 16th-century San Pietro e Paolo church tower, walk through rare subtropical plants on the Brissago Islands, or explore Monte Verità, where dancers and philosophers lived in wooden huts and practiced alternative lifestyles in the early 1900s.
Walking Through Ascona's Medieval Center
The cobblestone streets of Ascona's old town wind between 17th-century buildings in warm Mediterranean colors. At Casa Serodine, you'll find stone sculptures of angels and saints decorating its baroque facade. Inside the Church of Santa Maria della Misericordia, 15th-century frescoes cover 43 square meters of wall space, depicting biblical scenes in rich blues and golds. Art galleries fill the ground floors of many historic buildings, while small cafes spill onto quiet squares.
Activities on Lake Maggiore
Walk the one-kilometer lakefront promenade for clear views of snow-capped Alpine peaks across the water. On Tuesday mornings, the promenade transforms into a market where local farmers sell aged Alpine cheeses, air-dried salamis, and seasonal produce. Rent paddleboards for 25 CHF per hour near Piazza G. Motta, or take a 15-minute ferry ride to the Brissago Islands, where paths wind through gardens of camellias, magnolias, and bamboo groves.
Monte Verità's Artist Colony
In 1900, a group of artists and thinkers settled on Monte Verità hill, building simple wooden houses and growing their own food. Carl Jung held seminars here, while Hermann Hesse wrote several chapters of "Demian" during his visits. Today, you can explore the restored 1920s Bauhaus-style villa, see photographs and letters in the museum, and eat at the restaurant where chefs prepare meat-free dishes using recipes from the colony's cookbook.
Local Food and Markets
Every Thursday, Piazza G. Motta fills with stalls selling Ticino specialties. Try Zincarlin, a pepper-spiced ricotta aged in wine cellars, or buy fresh chestnuts in autumn. Many ingredients come from Terreni alla Maggia farm, which grows rice in Switzerland's only rice fields and produces wine from Merlot grapes. Look for grottos - restaurants in stone cellars or garden settings - serving brasato al Merlot (beef braised in red wine) and risotto with local porcini mushrooms.
Getting Around
Buses connect Ascona and Locarno every 15 minutes between 6 AM and midnight. From Locarno's station, take the Centovalli Railway through mountain valleys toward Italy, or catch buses to hiking trailheads in the Verzasca and Maggia valleys. Your hotel stay includes a Ticino Ticket for unlimited public transport across the region.
