Locarno, Ticino, Svizzera
02/09/2022
On Friday I left work early and met with my good friend Cristiano in front of the building. He is from Ticino, the Italian-speaking region of Switzerland, and we had planned a 2-day trip to his home region.
Once on our way, it was a 2-hour train ride to Rivera. The 1500-people town is located in a valley between the two bigger cities Locarno & Lugano which we intended to visit during our time there, making it a great starting point.
After a quick afternoon snack we got ready to discover. It took us about half an hour by car to get to Locarno, located at the northern end of Lago Maggiore. After finding a spot to park we started our walk along the shore. The lake lay peacefully in front of us.
The heavy clouds and shaded mountains in the light of the setting sun made for a dramatic scenery, so of course I had to take the view in from the air.
After taking in a couple of pictures and videos we turned around for me to get a glimpse at the city, too. The building style has many parallels to Italy and is just as beautiful, but it is apparent that the solid financial situation of the country ensures better serviced infrastructure – at the cost of a more expensive price level of course.
We sat down for an apéritif at Gran Caffè Verbano, a bar located on the side of Piazza Grande. Each of us had a Milano-Torino and we then started walking towards the restaurant where Cristiano had made a reservation.
Of course, as in any Swiss city there was also a good amount of sports cars to be spotted.
We had dinner inside a lakeside restaurant of Lido Locarno, a small resort with hotel, swimming pool and thermal baths. It was particularly nice due to its proximity to the water, with the terrace offering a great view of the lake and surrounding mountainscape. The late summer atmosphere reminded me of my summer holiday in Italy.
Afterwards we drove over to nearby Ascona on the other side of the peninsula. The city had an open air exhibition on display and was a nice nightly walk to conclude the day.
Ciao!