Old Town

Locarno


You can feel just how close you are to Italy when exploring Locarno's hilly Città Vecchia (Old Town), an appealing jumble of piazzas, arcades, churches and tall, shuttered Lombard houses in ice-cream colours. At its centre sits the Piazza Grande, with narrow lanes threading off in all directions, while the Castello Visconteo guards its southwestern fringes.


Lonely Planet's must-see attractions

Nearby Locarno attractions

1. Piazza Grande

0.02 MILES

Locarno’s Italianate Città Vecchia (Old Town) fans out from Piazza Grande, a photogenic ensemble of arcades and Lombard-style houses. A craft and fresh…

2. Chiesa Nuova

0.11 MILES

Guarded by a giant bas-relief St Christopher with disproportionately tiny feet, the baroque-gone-mad, 17th-century Chiesa Nuova has cherubs and stucco…

3. Castello Visconteo

0.19 MILES

Named after the Visconti clan that long ruled Milan, this fortified 15th-century castle’s nucleus was raised around the 10th century. It now houses a…

4. Pinacoteca Casa Rusca

0.22 MILES

This gallery occupies a beautifully restored 18th-century townhouse, Casa Rusca. The permanent collection zooms in on 20th century paintings, sculpture…

5. Chiesa di Sant'Antonio

0.24 MILES

Standing proud on a fountain-dotted square, this church is best known for its altar to the Cristo Morto (Dead Christ).

6. Chiesa di San Francesco

0.24 MILES

Standing on the site of a 13th-century Franciscan monastery, the 16th-century Chiesa di San Francesco is adorned with frescoes by Baldassare Orelli. Note…

7. Parco Muralto

0.31 MILES

Locarno’s climate is perfect for lolling about the lake. Bristling with palms and ablaze with flowers in spring and summer, these gardens are a scenic…

8. Santuario della Madonna del Sasso

0.38 MILES

Overlooking the town, this sanctuary was built after the Virgin Mary supposedly appeared in a vision to a monk, Bartolomeo d’Ivrea, in 1480. There’s a…