Milan & the Lakes - Italy - page 525

WORTH A TRIP
INTO SWITZERLAND

With its much vaunted 2300 hours of sunshine a year, Locarno (pop 15,300) and its equally pretty
neighbour Ascona (pop 5450) have long been beloved of Mitteleuropeans seeking class and culture in
the sun. Take the Centovalli railway from Domodossola or arrive aboard a ferry from Cannobio, and
you'll soon see what all the fuss is about.
Stride out and about in Locarno's handsome Italianate piazzas or join the sunglasses crowd on the
flower-filled lungolago (lakeside promenade); catch the funicular (adult one way/return Sfr4.80/7.20,
child Sfr2.20/3.60; 7am-8pm) up to the Santuario della Madonna del Sasso for Bramantino's
Flight into Egypt ; or head up, up and away on the chairlift up to Cimetta (1672m) for panoramic
views and gentle hikes. Stay overnight at hip Caffe dell'Arte ( [phone];
www.caffedellarte.ch ; Via Cittadella 9, Locarno; 8.30am-9pm Tue-Sat; Locarno) and spend a
day or two exploring modern art at the Museo Comunale d'Arte Moderna ( 091 759 81 40;
www.museoascona.ch ; Via Borgo 34; adult/reduced Sfr7/5; 10am-noon & 3-6pm Tue-Sat,
10.30am-12.30pm Sun Mar-Dec) in nearby pastel-hued Ascona, or take a ferry and picnic amid the
exotic blooms on the island garden of Isole di Brissago ( 091 791 43 61; www.isolebrissago.ch ;
Via Borgo 34; adult/child Sfr8/2.50; 9am-6pm Apr-late-Oct) .
In August, the cinema world descends on Locarno for one of Europe's top film festivals, Festival
Internazionale di Film , when every night Piazza Grande is transformed into a massive outdoor
theatre beneath the stars.

Cannobio

POP 5230
Sheltered by a high mountain and sitting at the foot of the Cannobino valley, the medieval
hamlet of Cannobio, located 5km from the Swiss border, is a dreamy place. Although
there are no specific sites in the town, its restaurants and hotels are some of the best on the
lake. And on Sunday its lakeside market attracts visitors from Switzerland.
The tourist office (

0323 7 12 12; www.procannobio.it ; Via Giovanola 25; 9am-noon & 4-7pm

Mon-Sat, 9am-noon Sun & holidays) is just inland off the main lakeside road.

Activities
Cannobio has an active sailing and windsurfing school, Tomaso Surf & Sail ( 0323 7 22 14;
www.tomaso.com ; Via Nazionale 7) , next to a gritty beach at the village's northern end. You
can also hire small sailing boats here (€120 per day) and make a nice excursion to the
ruined Castelli della Malpaga , located on two rocky islets to the south of Cannobio.