Switzerland – from 1997 until 2022
Switzerland is a landlocked country and therefore has no direct access to the sea. But we do have countless kilometers of rivers, large lakes AND we have Ticino. The predominantly Italian-speaking canton, located south of the Gotthard and north of Italy, is a popular destination among the German-speaking Swiss. It only takes about 2 hours by car (3 by train) through picturesque mountain regions to reach a little piece of vacation atmosphere. You still pay in francs and the cell phone network is still covered by Swisscom etc.. But the language barrier (and the menus in the restaurants) make you feel almost like you’re in Bella Italia.
When I was a child, we regularly went to Tenero for long weekends in early summer. After a few years, almost all the camper families from my home village in Lucerne were guests at the “Campo Felice” campsite there. With its location directly on Lake Maggiore and close to the A2, it is ideal for trips to Locarno, Ascona or even Italy. In the fall, the chestnut-covered hills are also ideal for hikes. A stop at a small grotto for polenta or a hearty risotto is of course a must. The wonderful natural surroundings also make Ticino a popular wedding destination. We were once invited by friends of my parents to celebrate on the Brissago Islands.
Especially during the coronavirus pandemic, Ticino was a haven for wanderlust-stricken sun worshippers. In May 2020, my friend Selina and I took a spontaneous day trip to Lugano. From there, we took the scheduled boat to Gandria. The small village is located on Lake Lugano, close to the Swiss-Italian border. The colorful stone houses built on the steep slope give the village a certain Positano flair. We enjoyed the first summer day of the year with a dip in the cold lake and treated ourselves to a pizza. On the way back, as expected, the train was packed with day-trippers wanting to escape the dreary fog in central and northern Switzerland.
Ticino is also a treasure for schools. We spent our class trip in year 9 in a group camp directly on Lake Langensee. The highlight back then was the shopping trip to Milan by coach. Today, I would probably appreciate the hike through the Verzasca Valley more. A former monastery served as the camp house and the rules were correspondingly strict. Ticino is still one of the most conservative cantons in Switzerland. This may also have something to do with its remote location due to the surrounding Alps. Perhaps this was also one of the reasons why the schools chose this location for the vacation camp.
But Ticino is definitely worth a trip in winter too. In 2021, I spent my January vacation in the area around Bellinzona, the San Bernardino Pass and Lugano. You can also reach the small, traditional villages in the Misox Valley (actually already part of the canton of Graubünden) by postbus. Given the amount of snow there was, it is surprising that the region is no longer known for skiing. The hospitality is also somewhat different from that in German-speaking Switzerland. In one Airbnb I stayed in, the hosts offered a variation of homemade pasta for dinner because I was there on a Sunday and the stores were closed – like everywhere else in Switzerland.
Another time I was in Lugano in February for a day trip to meet up with my friend Cinzia, who lives near Monza (IT). I usually take the slightly longer train that goes over the mountains. That day, however, I wanted to get to the south a little quicker, so I decided to take the GOTTHARD EXPRESS, which runs through the 17 km long Gotthard Base Tunnel. This gave us the whole day to eat well and, after a boat trip, we were even able to make a short excursion to Monte Bré. From there you have a great view of Lake Lugano and as far as Italy. In the evening, Cinzia was home a lot quicker than I was. So Ticino is even suitable for excursions from Italy, or as a stopover on the way north from southern Europe.
On the way to Como (IT), for example, I once visited the beautiful village of Morcote:
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