The ANNOTICO Report

Ticino, the southernmost of the 26 Swiss cantons (Provinces/States), and
the only canton on the southern slopes of the Alps, that was formerly
Italian territory, and in which Italian is primarily spoken.

Chicago Daily Herald
By Susan Bayer Ward
Daily Herald Correspondent
Saturday, July 23, 2005

When you think of Switzerland, you envision quality clockwork efficiency,
those stunning soaring snow-capped Alps and, perhaps, Heidi.

But palm trees, lush red wines, warm sun-splashed lakeside promenades and
naked vegetarian bikers? Probably not.

Yet, Ticino, the southernmost of the 26 Swiss cantons, is just such a
place. It blends a sensual Mediterranean joie de vivre with the attention
to fine service and tidy northern mental focus of the rest of Switzerland.

Oh, don't be misled. You'll still find some hoary old castles, high Alpine
pastures and stone villages that cling to waterfall-pocked mountainsides
like limpets in a tidal wave. But down in the Lake District, swank resort
towns - former fishing hamlets - are awash in camellias, magnolias and
azaleas that bloom in profusion while olive and lemon trees perfume the air
and grotto restaurants serve homemade risotto, mortadella and bread cake
along with locally grown Merlot.

Ticino (pronounced "Tah-chee-no") is the only canton where Italian is the
official language. Because of this confluence of Italian ebullience and
reserved Northern European charm - in both landscape and mindset - Ticino
has been popular with traveling Europeans for more than a century. It's
high time Americans were let in on the secret.

One of Ticino's many delights is the fact that you can drive from palm
trees and harborside cafes to cloud-tickled Alpine pastures and grazing
cows in less than an hour.

Fully a third of this rather vertical canton is made up of three glacier-
and river-carved main valleys and an as-sortment of lesser offshoot
valleys. One of the most dramatic is the Maggia. As you slowly traverse its
main road replete with hairpin turns - on your own or with a driver-guide -
centuries-old villages with houses constructed from local granite pop up
out of deep green chestnut-tree forests like so many enchanted Brigadoons.

In the lower part of the Maggia Valley, you'll pass right by stone cutters
practicing their age-old craft of hand-chiseling slabs of gneiss granite
into rectangles to be used - believe it or not - on all valley roofs, a
staple here.

Farther along you'll see painted roadside monuments used as outdoor chapels
by the mountain folk who come here to pray for a good harvest, successful
workday or steady flow of milk from the glossy cows and goats that roam
everywhere.

Many lower valley livestock no longer wear bells on their collars because
tourists started hopping out of their cars and snatching them for
souvenirs. The local farmers got understandably huffy and stopped belling
their cattle and goats. Happily, you can still hear this merry tinkling at
more northern altitudes.

Higher up, trademark Ticino waterfalls thunder down steep defiles and stone
bridges cross streams so clear they mirror a geranium-filled window box set
into a saffron wall.

Near the top of this mountain road the stone bastions of tiny Fusio tumble
down a mountain pass. Stop and walk its narrow byways as Romanesque
churches give way to sun-washed squares. Flower boxes are rampant and
wind-tanned locals burst with welcome. They'll lead you to Mr. Filipelli's
marvelous restaurant, Antica Osteria Dazio (even in the tiniest Ticino
hamlet the food is usually superb), where everything is homemade and
succulent. The chestnut-filled ravioli is a revelation as is the famed
Vallemaggia cheese, which is so regionally popular it's hard to come by
outside the valley. Just north of Fusio, a cheesemaker tends 90 cows and
190 goats in an alpine pasture. He produces this famed Vallemaggia
comestible, storing and aging the huge rounds in a cellar dug into the
mountainside. (Vallemaggia is made of a combination of cows' and goats'
milk.)

Just south of Fusio, a startlingly modern edifice is as impressive as the
massifs of the Alps that surround it. Lit-tle Mogno's claim to fame is the
striking marble, granite, iron and glass St. John Baptist Church designed
by renowned Ticino architect Mario Botta. The creator of the San Francisco
Museum of Modern Art, Botta uses the lovely mountain light - radiating
through the roof - as a design element in his much-visited church.

The softer southern reaches of Ticino, which stretch into northern Italy,
send a siren song to visitors. In the canton's capital, Bellinzona, three
late medieval castles bear the vaunted designation of a UNESCO World
Heritage site. In town, and on the hillside above, Castelgrande, Montebello
and Sasso Corbaro send their aged gray turrets skyward in contrast to
surrounding squares, shopping districts, outdoor cafes and the Piazza
Nosetto (now home to the Town Hall). Now to those enchanting lakes: Lake
Maggiore is the largest by far. Only one-fifth of it, however, lies in
Switzerland while its broad tail meanders into Italy.

The historic, artistic, scenic and gastronomic allures of Locarno and
Ascona, both on Lake Maggiore, and Lugano, on nearby Lake Lugano, have made
them internationally renowned as summer resorts. Locarno, dominated by the
Sanctuary of Madonna del Sasso, Visconti Castle and the cozy Citta Vecchia
(Old Town) district, has just 25,000 residents, though its ranks are often
swelled by sun-worshipping tourists.

Because of the warm lakeside climate, flowers start blooming in February
and Locarno's subtropical parks are filled with exotic blossoms. The
lakeside promenade is a favorite rambling site.

This beachfront resort town contains several fine hotels. That's fortunate,
for in August they're filled to over-flowing during the Locarno
International Film Festival (Aug. 3-13 this year). More than 1,000
journalists and 200,000 spectators come to watch hundreds of screenings
held in cinemas around town, but most especially in open-air seating before
a giant screen in the Piazza Grande. The sight of so many filmgoers,
surrounded by old pastel-hued buildings with a plump full moon above, is
astounding.

Two miles southwest of Locarno lies one of the most beloved summer resort
destinations in Switzerland. Lovely Ascona, bathed in Mediterranean light
with its old town hearkening back to the 16th century, is the "Queen of
Lake Maggiore." As with many lakeside towns, it began life as a fishing
village. Beyond its piazza, directly on the lake, ferries and excursion
boats chug back and forth across the sparkling waters. On the prome-nade,
lovers stroll past umbrella-topped café tables, and pastel-hued hotels line
the quay as kids chase balls in front. A maze of lanes leads away from the
waterside to shops carrying Italian designer labels such as Armani,
Versace, Valentino, Fendi and Di Varese.

Five-star hotels are de rigueur here, as is some toothsome haute cuisine.
Many, however, favor the local fare found in grotto restaurants. Here,
stone tables groan with regional creations such as cazzola (savory cabbage
and pork), air-dried sausages, risotto, fresh pasta, sweet panettone bread
and flavorful cheeses - all washed down with the pride of Ticino, its truly
fine Merlot.

But Ascona has an even more colorful and quirky side, and we now come to
those naked vegetarian bikers.

At the turn of the last century, many artists and intellectuals,
disenchanted with the Industrial Revolution, sought out the salubrious
shores of Ascona as a prime place to establish a Utopian enclave. They
named a hill above town Monte Verita ("Mount Truth") and it became the home
for pacifists, bohemians, feminists, food faddists, writers, dancers,
vegetarians, nudists and a whole hodgepodge of independent thinkers.

Many noteworthy talents flocked here - Monte Verita's prime years being
1900 to 1940 - and the likes of Max Ernst, Karl Jung, Paul Klee, Alexej
Jawlensky and Hermann Hesse congregated to share philosophy and lofty (or
not so lofty) ideologies.

The locals thought them completely bonkers, and as an Ascona guide remarked
rather huffily: "They were mostly naked biking vegetarians - amongst them
that biking fool, Hermann Hesse."

The Monte Verita crowd left its mark on Ascona and you get the impression
the locals are secretly proud of the mélange of minds that made the town
famous.

Ticino's other noteworthy body of water, Lake Lugano, sends arms of water
out in scattershot fashion; two extending into Italy. As with those on Lake
Maggiore, villages dot its perimeter, though they look even more Italian
painted in pastel colors and topped with red-tile roofs.

The town of Lugano is a major presence on the lake and is situated between
Monte Bre and Monte San Salvatore. You can reach the top of both by
funicular and it's well worth the trip for the gulp-a-minute views of the
town and lake below, the Bernese and Valais Alps and - on a clear day - a
glimpse of Milan, Italy, in the distance.

Lugano itself is understandably popular for its classical architecture,
historic monuments and superb shopping districts. Flag-draped alleyways are
chockablock with open-air markets where shoppers sniff the bread and pinch
the cheese. You'll find food shops where you can't help but press your nose
to the window with desire and side-walk cafes where strong black coffee and
pastries are served - a great way to rest tired feet and watch the world go
by.

The Via Nassa ("street of fishing nets") is, indeed, where fishermen used
to spread out their nets to dry. Now handsome shops sell beautifully
tailored clothes and those grand Swiss watches. Several old churches
attract attention, especially the Chiesa di Santa Maria degli Angioli,
circa 1499, contain-ing the most famous Renaissance wall-painting in
Switzerland: Bernardino Luini's "Passion of the Christ."

Some seven miles south of Lugano, yet a world away, the former fishing
village of Morcote tumbles down a hill almost into the lake itself. A
particular favorite with tourists and locals, Morcote combines all the best
of Ticino. Flowering vines drape over long arcades that shelter you from
the sun and winding alleyways lead up-ward to who knows where. Climb to the
hilltop Chiesa ("church") di Santa Maria del Sasso, enjoying stupendous
lake views along the way.

For such a Tinkertoy-sized place you'll find excellent hotels and cooling
grotto restaurants, such as the del Parco. Order a sparkling glass of
Merlot, the traditional dish of polenta cooked in a copper pan over a wood
fire and eaten with mushrooms and braised beef, and a slice of the local
cheese to follow.

At that point, you wouldn't even blink if a naked vegetarian biker rambled
by.

If you go

The Swiss canton of Ticino

GO: To enjoy the beauty, fine service and tidy ambience emblematic of
Switzerland with the added delights of its Mediterranean-influenced canton

NO: If Europe has no appeal, you dislike long overseas flights and would
rather revel in all that America has to offer

Need to know: Switzerland Tourism, Swiss Center, 608 Fifth Ave., New York,
NY 10020, (877) 794-8037, www.mySwitzerland.com; Ticino Tourism,
www.ticino-tourism.ch

Getting there: Fly to Zurich (Swiss Airlines offers nonstops from O'Hare,
other airlines have connecting flights), then hop aboard a Swiss Railway
train right inside the airport for a three-hour ride south to Ticino. This
might entail several train changes along the way, so pack accordingly with
bags that can be easily maneuvered on and off trains. Milan, Italy, is only
40 miles south of Lugano, so you might also choose to fly there, then board
a shuttle bus that links the airport with Lugano.

Documents: U.S. residents need a passport, but not a visa.

Currency: Swiss francs (see page 2 for current exchange rate).

Language: The official language of Ticino is Italian, though there are
several German-speakers, especially in Ascona. In general, locals are bi-
and tri-lingual, as is the case in the rest of Switzerland. On the lakes
especially you'll find English-speakers as these are prime resort areas.

Accommodations: Lodgings range from villas, bed-and-breakfasts, cottages
and alpine huts (in the mountains) to large and small hotels. Ascona and
Lugano alone are home to four high-end Relais & Chateaux hotels as well as
three prestigious Swiss Leading Hotels. A few suggestions:

Albergo Giardino (Relais & Chateaux group, (800) 735-2478), Ascona,
www.giardino.ch

Castello del Sole (Relais & Chateaux group, (800) 735-2478), Ascona,
www.castellodelsole.com

Hotel Eden Roc (Leading Small Hotels of the World, (800) 745-8883), Ascona,
www.edenroc.ch

Hotel Splendide Royal (Leading Hotels of the World, (800) 745-8883, and
Swiss Leading Hotels), Lugano, www.splendide.ch

Villa Principe Leopoldo & Residence (Relais & Chateaux group, (800)
735-2478), Lugano, www.leopoldohotel.com

Villa Sassa Hotel & Residence (SRS-World Hotels, First Class Collection,
(800) 223-5652), Lugano, www.villasassa.ch

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