Enjoy La Dolce Vita in Ticino, where you’ll find the perfect
mix of Italian elegance and enthusiasm, combined with Swiss efficiency and
quality, ensuring the perfect holiday…
La Dolce Vita in
Ticino
Approximately the same size as Dorset, the diminutive canton
of Ticino is, nonetheless, packed with an unparalleled combination of
high-Alpine mountains, glacial lakes, lush subtropical gardens, chestnut
forests and sun-drenched valley lakes fringed with palm trees. Its location
deep in southern Switzerland, where it’s almost entirely surrounded by Italy,
explains Ticino’s distinctly Mediterranean climate and lifestyle.
The exuberance of the Italian-speaking locals, with their
inherent love of fashion and design, topped with a dollop of Swiss quality and
efficiency, lends Ticino its unique flair. The Ticinese
are accustomed to living “la dolce vita”. In the summer they can hike or cycle
in the mountains in the morning, swim in the enchanting Lago
Maggiore in the afternoon, enjoy a glass of award-winning local merlot come
sundown, and dine in world-class restaurants in cosmopolitan cities or rustic
villages when hunger pangs strike.
the
enchanting Lago Maggiore
However, as the prolific local architect Mario Botta demonstrates with his unflagging energy, the Ticinese continually strive to innovate, creating
ground-breaking new hotels, restaurants, spas, events and leisure facilities.
This year alone saw the launch of several new properties, including the
boutique hotel Giardino Lago,
a contemporary yet achingly romantic property on the shores of Lago, a contemporary yet achingly romantic property on the
shores of Lago Maggiore; the Resort Collina d’Oro, which incorporates
a hotel residences and extensive spa and “ Well-aging” area above Lago Lugano; and the renovated Kurhaus Cademario Hotel & Spa
(opening in winter 2012/13), discreetly tucked away in the Malcantone
woods, near Lugano.
Monte San Giorgio
is a mountain at Lake Lugano known for its marine
fossils from the Mid Triassic Period.
Just as the Ticinese have
cherry-picked the best of Switzerland and Italy, they have become skilled at
blending old and new to create fresh experiences. For example, the area around
Mount San Giorgio boasts such a wealth of 230 million year-old fossils, in
addition to spectacular pyramid-shaped mountains and turquoise lakes, that it was designated a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
However, “starchitect” Mario Botta
has injected a dose of trademark modernism with a new visitor centre, in which thousands of ancient fossils are
displayed, alongside an interactive exhibition. Similarly, Botta
restyled the old winemaking plant of the “Fattoria Moncucchetto” (Moncucchetto wine
factory) to create a strikingly modern home for the producers of Switzerland’s
best merlot and the vineyard’s equally impressive new restaurant.
Good cuisine is essential to the Ticinese
and, although its roots lie in Alpine culture and traditions, Ticino’s
Mediterranean climate and regional produce imbue its cuisine with Italian
warmth and colour. Whether you tuck into traditional
polenta and wild boar ragout in a “grotti” (old inns
which originated as cellars excavated from the rock), grab a coffee and
freshly=baked amaretti in Locarno-Muralto’s
suave new Al Porto Café, or savour the brilliance of
two Michelin-starred chef Rolf Fliegauf at his
glass-roofed ECCO restaurant in Ascona, you will
discover unusual tastes and combinations in extraordinary locations.
If these dishes inspire you to head for the kitchen, join
celebrity chef Meret Bissegger
in her home, Casa Merogusto in Malvaglia,
for one of her cooking classes. Not only will you gain an insight into the secrets
of Ticinese cuisine and produce, and Bissegger’s distinctively spicy, aromatic specialities, you’ll also have the opportunity to feast on
her food with a traditional “Tavolate” – a generous,
informal meal served around a large table with fellow guests.
Music is another integral part of life in Ticino, as
reflected in its vibrant live music scene and string of
internationally-attended are respected events, notably the annual summer jazz
and Moon & Stars festivals. The former, Estival
Jazz, was founded in 1979 and sees a small but select number of celebrated
artists (previous performers include Miles Davis, Ray Charles and Van Morrison)
perform at free, open-air concerts in Mendrisio and Lugano. The ten-day “Moon and Stars” festival, meanwhile,
gathers thousands of fans to Locarno’s Piazza Grande for nightly concerts in
July, and features international stars including Status Quo, Lenny Kravitz, Elton John, Ligabue,
Gotthard and Laura Pausini (moonandstars.ch)
Ticino for the
music, the food and wine
Whether you venture to Ticino for the music, the food and
wine, the famous lakes and mountains, or chic cities, you’ll discover that it has
more to offer than you could have hoped. Just make sure you make time to relax
and soak up the unique dolce vita of this quintessentially Italian slice of
Switzerland.
