Two beautiful towns on Lake Maggiore. Locarno is home to the Locarno International Film Festival and Ascona is a favorite location for summer travelers in the region. These are hubs when traveling to Minusio, Muralto, Orselina and the Castello Visconteo.
From the Bellinzona UNESCO World Heritage website:
Bellinzona’s castles are considered amongst the finest examples of medieval fortification architecture in Switzerland. As they appear today, the fortifications, whose origins actually go much further back to a prehistoric settlement on Castelgrande hill, are mainly the result of intensive and complex building activity instigated by the Dukes of Milan in the 15th century.
Weddings are also held at the castles (look for some of the photos in our Gallery section), with spectacular views and a wonderful restaurant located inside.
Photo by Ivan Wagner
For more information about Bellinzona and its history, you can visit the UNESCO site here.
With a website that doesn’t quite do it justice, Hotel de la Paix is a luxury hotel located just above the Lake of Lugano.
From the brochure:
The Hotel de la Paix is located close to Lake Lugano and at walking distance from the city center, 5 km from the Lugano-Agno airport, 1 km from the train station and offers exclusively to its guests a large private parking. Its multilingual staff will be delighted to welcome you with warmth and cordiality.
Our property was stylishly transformed and expanded out of an 18th century villa and now offers excellent modern facilities and a unique combination of modern comfort and luxurious elegance.
The garden-terrace with its heated swimming pool in summer and the portico are ideal places to spend relaxing moments and admire the magnificent amphitheatre formed by the surrounding mountains.
Website: http://www.delapaix.ch/
From Wikipedia:
Gandria is a small, picturesque village on the shore of Lake Lugano in Switzerland. The historically protected center (nucleo), which is not accessible by car, attracts visitors from all over the world.
Boat service between Gandria and other towns on the lake is regular, and it is also possible to walk from Gandria to Lugano and other surrounding villages via a publicly maintained footpath hewn into the rock in 1936. This path (now branded the olive path by the Tourism Bureau) between Gandria and Castagnola leads along plantations of olive trees and offers splendid views of the Lake of Lugano.
Photo by Nitatravels
Photo by Seriousfunk
Photo by Raindog
With the remoteness of the village, small old-fashioned roads and beautiful lake views, Gandria is ideal for your smaller events.
For more information Click here.
From the Website:
Once the home of a noble Russian family, the impressive mansion was transformed into a hotel in 1885. A hotelier-family from Luzern made its reputation growth over three generations.
Since 1885 the Grand Hotel Villa Castagnola has been able to welcome guests in the heart of Lugano. “Villa, art and gastronomy are the essence of our philosophy”. You may encounter a private and elegant ambience in a beautiful surrounding.
It is our greatest aim to render your stay with us unforgettable and to make you feel at home.
An extremely elegant place in a wonderful location, Villa Castagnola has found itself the preferred venue for many events, including art exhibitions, boasting amenities such as “an indoor swimming pool, tennis court, private lido on the lake, fitness centre, bio-sauna, calidarium, steam room, solarium, Clarins Beauty Corner and Danilo Hair Styling.”
Overlooking the city of Lugano, as as well as the lake, Villa Sassa offers excellent service with superb views. With a hotel, apartments, restaurant, bar, club, swimming pools, Villa Sassa truly has it all.
From the website: In a wonderful setting on the hills overlooking Lugano, Villa Sassa covers 16,000 square metres around an old tastefully restored nineteenth century villa. Sophisticated, discrete and luminous, Villa Sassa offers exceptionally high standards of service and painstaking attention to detail in order to make your stay a truly special occasion. The highly acclaimed Ai Giardini di Sassa restaurant takes great pride in its innovative meals, meticulously cooked up in an enchanting setting. Villa Sassa’s bewitching backdrop provides the ideal location for ceremonies, banquets, family parties, dinners or corporate cocktail parties. The wide summer terrace beside the pool with panoramic views over Lugano and the mountains makes the bar lounge even more enchanting, especially in summer.
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You can visit their website here.
What is Improv cuisine (or Canovaccio cuisine, if you will) and how does it work? Chef Massimiliano Mariotta of the Restaurant “Tartufo” above Locarno has created a unique concept, which takes advantage of ingredients grown locally and while they are in season.
So how does it work? Each guest is invited into the kitchen where in collaboration with Chef Mariotta, a unique menu is created using his stocks du jour (freshly made chicken, veal, fish and vegetable stocks), pestos du jour, sorbets du jour and exceptional local, seasonal and organic ingredients. Pastas are made fresh daily and cut to order. While some simply ask the Chef to “use his imagination,” others have specific ingredients and combinations of tastes in mind. All dishes including the irresistible desserts are created extemporaneously from exceptional local and organic ingredients.
Their website can be accessed here.
Nicknamed the “Pearl of the Ceresio”, Morcote is located right on the lake of Lugano, about 10km from the city center, and right under the Castle of Morcote. It is overlooked by the renaissance church Santa Maria del Sasso. This church has an octagonal chapel behind it, as well as a cemetery in which various famous people were buried, such as Alexander Moissi, Georges Baklanoff and Georg Kaiser.
Visitors should grab a drink or a meal on the lake, and venture in the back alleys of the town, and should definitely try to make the trek (15-20 minute walk) up the mountain to the Church of Santa Maria del Sasso.
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See more picture of Morcote here.
With a population of 338, Vico Morcote’s relative distance from Lugano has allowed it to maintain its traditional ambience. It is located above Morcote, with the Church of the Saints Fedeli and Simone, Osteria Bocc and Ristorante Sorgente, and beautiful views and small streets.
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See more picture of Vico Morcote here.
The Villa Principe Leopoldo, located on the Collina d’Oro and with stunning views, is one of the premier hotels in the Lugano area.
From the website:
Once the house of Emperor William’s brother in law, this historical building, which is post-modern in inspiration, with its versatile style, enjoys an astounding view on the lake and the surrounding mountains.
Today, the Villa has 37 large Suites, Junior Suites and Deluxe rooms, all equipped with air-conditioning. Precious curtains and large and comfortable sofas separate the bedroom area from the living room. Bathrooms, with marble pannelling are situated on the side of the corridor.
Website: http://www.leopoldohotel.com/
