IMAGES: GETTY; ALAMY
TICINO’S BEST
FestivalsMORNING
Just 30 minutes from the Italian
border, Switzerland’s lowest-
lying town, Ascona, has a
laid-back feel. Take a stroll along
the picturesque waterfront,
lined with pastel-coloured
buildings, and enjoy an espresso
overlooking the glittering blues of
Lake Maggiore. Get closer to the
water on a standup paddleboard
or on a sailing lesson with
Asconautica or take a boat trip
to Ticino’s treasured botanical
garden on the twin Brissago
Islands, thick with subtropical
trees and blooms.AFTERNOON
Grotto restaurants are a key part
of Ticinese food culture, and
lunch at Ascona’s Grotto Baldoria
means feasting at communal
tables on simple but delicious
dishes, including charcuterie,
polenta, risotto and stews. Work
it off with a hike up Monte Verità
(‘mountain of truth’), home to a tea
plantation, a Japanese-style tea
house and Casa Anatta Museum,
dedicated to a group of anarchists,
vegetarians, nature enthusiasts
and free-love advocates who set
up a co-operative here in the early
20th century.EVENING
Back at Ascona’s lakeshore,
drink in the sunset with an
Aperol spritz or glass of local
wine at the Sea Lounge in the
old port. Pair it with a sandwich
or salad, or for a splurge head
to La Brezza, Hotel Eden Roc’s
Michelin-star restaurant. The
four- to seven-course tasting
menus offer delicious dishes such
as Mediterranean red mullet with
fennel and couscous, and ravioli
with braised roe deer shank and
Jerusalem artichoke. If time, plan
an evening treatment at the hotel
spa — the ideal spot for R&R.DAY TWO ASCONA & LOCARNO
Pastel-coloured buildings lining
Ascona’s waterfront promenadeFOR MUSIC LOVERS
Lugano’s Estival Jazz festival
sees famous and up-and-
coming jazz musicians
— along with pop, rock,
blues and world music artists
— from around the globe
performing in free, open-air
concerts in Piazza della
Riforma. (9-11 July).FOR FILM BUFFS
The Locarno Film Festival
has a focus on offbeat
themes and global, young
and female filmmakers.
Alfresco screenings take
place every night in the
magnificent Piazza Grande,
which can hold approximately
8,000 spectators. (5-15
August 2020).FOR PARTY ATMOSPHERE
At Bellinzona’s Rabadan
— Switzerland’s second-
largest carnival — expect
lots of parades, brass
bands, street theatre and
late nights. It all kicks off on
Maundy Thursday, when the
(symbolic) keys to the city are
handed over to the ‘king’ (the
carnival leader) for five nights.
(February 2021 dates TBC).May/Jun 2020 41WEEKENDER