Lake Maggiore & Around - The Italian Lakes - page 196

( 6.30am-6.30pm) Up on the hill, with panoramic views of the lake and town, this sanctuary
was built after the Virgin Mary allegedly appeared in a vision to a monk in 1480. There's
a small museum, a church and several, rather rough, near-life-sized statue groups (includ-
ing 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. Contrasting
in style are the naive votive paintings by the church entrance where the Madonna and
Child appear as ghostly apparitions in life and death situations.
A funicular (adult one way/return Sfr4.80/7.50, child Sfr2.20/3.60; 7am-8pm) runs every 15 to 30
minutes from the town centre, but the 20-minute climb is not demanding (take Via al
Sasso off Via Cappuccini) and you pass some shrines on the way.

Old Town
Stride out and about the Italianate piazzas and arcades, and admire the Lombard houses.
There are some interesting churches. Built in the 17th century, the Chiesa Nuova MAP
GOOGLE MAP (New Church; Via Cittadella) has a dizzyingly ornate baroque ceiling. Outside, left
of the entrance, stands a giant statue of St Christopher with disproportionately small feet.
The 16th-century Chiesa di San Francesco MAP GOOGLE MAP (Piazza San Francesco) has frescoes by
Baldassare Orelli, while the Chiesa di Sant'Antonio is best known for its altar to the
Cristo morto (Dead Christ).
A fortified castle, Castello Visconteo MAP GOOGLE MAP ( 091 756 31 80; Piazza Castello; adult/re-
duced Sfr7/5; 10am-noon & 2-5pm Tue-Sun Apr-mid-Nov) is named after the Visconti clan who
long ruled Milan. The castle changed hands various times and was occupied by the Milan-
ese under Luchino Visconti in 1342. Taken by French forces in 1499, the castle and town
of Locarno eventually fell to the Swiss confederation in 1516. Today it houses a museum
with Roman and Bronze Age exhibits. Locarno is believed to have been a glass-manufac-
turing town in Roman times, which accounts for the strong showing of glass artefacts in
the museum. This labyrinth of a castle, whose nucleus was raised around the 10th century,
also hosts a small display (in Italian) on the 1925 Locarno Treaty.

HISTORIC QUARTER

Isole di Brissago
( 091 791 43 61; www.isolebrissago.ch ; adult/child Sfr8/2.50; 9am-6pm Apr-late Oct) The Ticino author-
ities could not have chosen a more enchanting spot to locate their botanical garden. On
Isole di Brissago you can visit San Pancrazio, one of the two specks of green. Renowned
for its spring-blooming rhododendrons, camellias and azaleas, the garden (which contains
some 1500 flora species) is rich in sub-tropical plants from as far off as Southeast Asia

ISLAND