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Ascona and Losone
Two
routes to discover su-tropical
Switzerland
Both the streets
of the historic centre and the lakefront of Ascona, an area often
compared to St. Tropez, are easily accessible by wheelchair. The
two proposed itineraries allow not only time to relax on the banks
of Lake Maggiore (B), but also time
for shopping, discovering the little streets, the inner courtyards
immersed in the subtropical vegetation, the private gardens and
some of the major works of historic, artistic and cultural heritage
in this antique fishing village (A).
It is recommended that both routes be undertaken together with a
companion.
The first (A) ideally starts from
the city car park in Ascona, a centrally located building which
is easy to reach either by car, or on foot and has numerous parking
places for the disabled.
The second (B) starts next to the
large car park on the lake front. The itineraries develop partly
along the flat streets which border the lake and the Gulf and partly
in the historic pedestrian centre where many shops, antique shops,
banks and services, are generally accessible, despite difficulties
sometimes created by the presence of stairs (ww.ftia.ch). The terraces
of the numerous hotels, restaurants and bars facing onto the Piazza
Motta are mostly accessible, as well as some restaurants in the
historic centre. However, there are relatively few of the restaurants
and bars – often only accessible with the help of a companion
– which also have suitable toilets. In Ascona and im Losone
only a few of the hotels have complete accessibility, and those
are almost all luxury hotels. In the lower categories the hotels
and pensions are accessible with some degree of difficulty (www.ftia.ch).
The suggested theme walks take place almost all in areas without
traffic and along streets which are easy to navigate.
Itinerary A allows you to discover the most secluded corners of
this area – it is the sunniest, although probably has the
most tourists and is the most fashionable area in Ticino. Its principal
monuments include the celebrated Casa Serodine (XVII century) with
its baroque ornamental plaster-work, the courtyard of the Church
of the Pontificio Papio School, the Church of St. Peter and St.
Paul and the museum containing works by artists who once lived in
Ascona, for example: Paul Klee, Marianne Werefkin and Alexej Jawlensky.
This is an ideal route for those wishing to combine shopping with
relaxing on the terrace of one of the numerous bars and restaurants
facing on to the Piazza Motta, or by the lake where the celebrated
New Orleans Jazz Festival is held in the summer. Itinerary B allows
you to reach either the beach area, the large hotels, the port and
the Ascona Golf Club, or to visit the Brissago Islands thanks to
the boats run by Lake Maggiore Navigation. Between the 19th and
the 20th Century the Islands hosted artists and middle-European
politicians who frequented the celebrated Monte Verità and
is today the home of the Ticino Botanical Park with its rich collection
of exotic and sub-tropical plants which paint a completely different
picture of Switzerland to normal. Gorgeous is the view from Porto
Ronco and Ronco near Ascona (a small village with valuable churches
and art galleries) over the small islands and the whole swiss part
of the Lago Maggiore. Losone, near to Locarno-Ascona, offers numerous
sports facilities, in particular an 18-holes-golf course.
www.ftia.ch
www.maggiore.ch
www.ticino-tourism.ch
www.ascona.ch
www.isolebrissago.ch
www.centovalli.ch
www.navigazionelaghi.it
www.jazzascona.ch
www.settimane-musicali.ch
www.ticino-lifestyle.com
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