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With its palm trees and much-hyped 2300 hours of sunshine a year, Locarno’s near-Mediterranean setting has been swooned over by visitors since the late 19th century. Switzerland’s lowest-altitude town is quite special, for sure, with an air of chic insouciance, a promenade strung along its mountain-facing lakefront and botanical gardens bristling with subtropical flowers and foliage. Beyond Lake Maggiore, there’s a pretty Renaissance Old Town to roam, which fans out from the Piazza Grande, host of a renowned music and film festival in summer.
For an eyrie-like view over the lake and an escape from the crowds, hitch a ride up to the forested peaks of Cardada and Cimetta. Or do as centuries of pilgrims have done before you and hike up the many steps to the Santuario della Madonna del Sasso.
These are our favorite local haunts, touristy spots, and hidden gems throughout Locarno.
Church
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 highly adorned church and several rather rough, near-life-size statue groups (including one of the Last Supper) in niches on the stairway. The best-known painting in the church is La fuga in egitto (Flight to Egypt), painted in 1522 by Bramantino.
Museum
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 museum with Roman and Bronze Age exhibits and also hosts a small display (in Italian) on the 1925 Locarno Treaty. Locarno is believed to have been a glass-manufacturing town in Roman times, which accounts for the many glass artefacts in the museum.
Historic Site
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.
Area
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-produce market takes over the square every Thursday, and regular events are staged here during the warmer months.
Gardens
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 spot for a picnic or swim, and tots can let off steam in the adventure playground.
Church
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 the eagle, ox and lamb on the Renaissance facade, symbols that represent the aristocracy, the bourgeoisie and the country dwellers respectively.
Gallery
This gallery occupies a beautifully restored 18th-century townhouse, Casa Rusca. The permanent collection zooms in on 20th century paintings, sculpture and graphic works, and features a sizeable number of originals by German-French sculptor, painter and abstract artist Jean Arp (1886–1966).
Wildlife Reserve
Time your visit to catch one of the impressive displays of falconry here – they take place at 11am in the morning and 3pm in the afternoon. Birds showing off their skills include eagles, hawks, owls, vultures and storks.
Church
Guarded by a giant bas-relief St Christopher with disproportionately tiny feet, the baroque-gone-mad, 17th-century Chiesa Nuova has cherubs and stucco smothering its pastel-painted interior.