Tales from Switzerland's Sunny South Ticino keeps youOver 4,000 km company of trails and footpaths from cane-breaks to peaks: Ticino is a land to explore. To discover it with us, these stories will take you to an archaeological dig in Tremona, natural bouldering walls in Cresciano and a shirt tailor in Lugano. AFROM tasty greetingWATER fromTO THE Lake WINE Lugano CELLAR at Melide LocalTICINO ingredients IN FERMENT and great passion: craft beers MountTHE ENERGY Verità, where OF BAUHAUS architecture, taste and philosophy meet Hike on the paths of our heroes. Discover the region of St. Gotthard. sbb.ch/gotthard RA_043 Ins St.Gotthard (e) A4, TicinoMoments.indd 1 25.01.19 15:20 EDITORIAL 1 Where you can breathe history: Kaspar Weber in front of the medieval walls of Castelgrande in Bellinzona. WHAT'S NEW? Dear reader, Happy Birthday. Swissminiatur in Melide is Jan Vermeer, the great 17th century Dutch painter, in his paintings celebrated little everyday celebrating its 60th birth- actions, like writing a letter, spinning a globe, playing a piano or finishing off embroidery. day. For the occasion, this He believed that little gestures, performed by ordinary people, enclosed a whole universe. miniature park that con- In this magazine, we had fun doing the same thing – with apologies for the compar- denses Switzerland in just ison – but, instead of a brush, we used texts and images. We highlighted the little or great 2 14,000 m is organising a achievements of some people in our territory. Men and women who accompany – and this is series of on-site events – the right verb to communicate the common thread that runs through these pages – tourists dinner parties and theme on their journey of discovery south of the Alps. There are so many wonderful stories to tell nights – offering the best in Ticino. There is Gabriella, who, in a historic cellar in Melide, offers her guests fish caught of this attraction. that very same day, at dawn, on Lake Lugano. Then there is a married couple, who changed their lives from one day to the next and now welcome visitors to a cabin at an altitude of Finding a treasure! 1,870 metres. And Yari – you'll smile as you read his biography – who produces sustainable At Hotel Ascona, an artistic tailored shirts “Made in Ticino”. And there are portraits of master brewers, of Tea House treasure that had been kept ceremony organisers, and of a man who studied with Ivanka Trump and later opened a hostel secret for years has recent- in Onsernone Valley. ly come to light. An incred- These stories evoke an experience we have all had: the difference between one trip ible collection of works by and another often depends on the people we meet, but also on our discovery, possibly by the great painter Luigi Peri- chance, of views, buildings or places usually not mentioned in guidebooks. Like that restau- cle (1916–2001), also exhibit- rant overlooking the water, where you can smoke a good cigar, or that unusual hostel where ed at the Venice Biennale, is guests are happy to have solved the “Problems” they met on their way. now on display in its rooms. Have we intrigued you? I hope so. So, let's put our spotlights on the Ticino universe. A century of excursions. Your journey has now begun. UTOE, one of Ticino's lead- ing mountaineering associ- ations, is now 100 years old. It manages 5 alpine cab- ins where guests can enjoy an Alphorn concert, an up- hill foot race, a cycle race, a Kaspar Weber torchlight procession and a Interim Director Ticino Tourism day for families. Going back in time with Fred. The Fossils Museum, in Meride, has a new audio- guide for children. Guided by Fred, a Ticinosuchus di- nosaur, kids can now visit the museum easily and en- joyably, discovering the fau- na that lived in this region 240 million years ago. 2 TICINO.CH Contents Enjoy 6 Melide: lakeside and wine cellars. On the lake with a fisherman and later in 20 the warmth of a special evening. Experience 12 From Afghanistan to Onsernone Valley, near Locarno, to 42 create a “scattered hotel” and rekindle energy. 12 32 Lago Maggiore 30 26 6 Lago di Lugano 16 38 Discover 16 Hunting for mysteries lost in time: in Tremona, you can experience the past through augmented reality. Experience 20 Cabins and trails in Ticino: enjoy the mountains just a few steps from the sky. Marvel 26 #ticinomoments 2019 © Ticino Turismo 2019 Editor: Ticino Turismo, Via Canonico Ghiringhelli 7, Tailored Ticino, 6501 Bellinzona, ticino.ch Contact: [email protected] Editorial work and texts: Oliver Gianettoni, Ticino Turismo Graphic design: Responsiva sagl, Locarno Photos: Enrico Boggia, Luca Crivelli, Studio Daulte, with rock music Hotel Castello del Sole, Jacques Perler, Alessio Pizzicannella Printing: Fontana Print SA, Pregassona as a surprising Source: Statistical Office of Ticino Circulation: 70,000 copies The magazine of Ticino Turismo is background to shirt- published annually in English, Italian, German and French. Printed in Switzerland. making in Lugano. CONTENTS 3 The binoculars symbol in the magazine will remind you that there is an expe- rience just waiting to be lived. In Ticino, unique moments await you behind every corner, and we have chosen some of them for you: ticino.ch/experiences Discover 30 A weekend in… Lugano. Relax 32 Mount Verità: on the hill above Ascona, where the Bauhaus art movement meets Ticinese tea. Enjoy 38 Local ingredients and a lot of passion: the Ticino beer world is in ferment. 5 Did you know that…? Curiosities from the world of the stars. 11 Alpine lakes: more than 130 beautiful jewels. 29 Made in Ticino: unexpected products. 45 Adrenaline-packed: extreme sports in Ticino. 46 #ticinomoments: our users have shared these fantastic photos of Marvel 42 Ticino with us. Ticino on the rocks: carrying your own 48 Caro Ticino: writer Antje mattress, discover Bargmann on her first year bouldering in the south of the Alps. woods around Cresciano. 4 TICINO.CH/DISCOVER A risotto must be really“ perfect when patrons leave nothing on their plate. Mattias Roock, Chef at Castello del Sole, Ascona.” DISCOVER 5 TICINO'S STARS Did you know that… …Mattias Roock, starred chef at Locanda Bar- barossa in Ascona, with his 18 Gault&Millau points, won the Ticino Revelation Chef Award 2019? …around Lake Lugano, there is no shortage of 5-star hotels? The View, Hotel Splendide Royal, Grand Hotel Villa Castagnola, Villa Principe Leopoldo and Swiss Diamond Hotel all await you. …in Ascona you can find Selvaggio (wild) design? Carlo Rampazzi, architect and designer, offers objects and visions that won't go unnoticed. …there is a (Michelin) star in the heart of the Canton's capital? In 2018, Chef Lorenzo Albrici's Locanda Orico took off from Bellinzona to fly in First and Business class on Swiss airline's planes. …the big fashion brands are at home at Fox- Town? In this outlet in Mendrisio, you can find real bargains. …in Ascona there is a restaurant with 2 Michelin stars? It's name is “Ecco” and it offers a natural and seasonal aromatic cuisine. …from the summer of 2019, the Hotel Splendide Royal in Lugano will feature a new spa area? In Ticino you can enjoy five-star wellness. …Ascona-Locarno is rich in pearls? Eden Roc, Hotel Giardino, Castello del Sole, Villa Orseli- na: Lake Maggiore's 5-star hotels are regularly awarded with international prizes. …on the shores of Lake Lugano art and cuisine come together? The Arté restaurant, with its one Michelin star, serves its patrons in an art gallery overlooking the lake. And now let's get on the water with the next tasty story. Just turn the page. 6 TICINO.CH/ENJOY MELIDE: BETWEEN LAKE AND CELLARS I was not partial to lake fish… In Melide, Lake Lugano's fishermen's paradise, Gabriella prepares appetising dinners using local ingredients. For guests of Swisstavolata at her historic wine cellar, enjoying her “Nidi di coregone” or “Agon” is a treat for all the senses. ENJOY — LAGO DI LUGANO 7 MELIDE 01 01. Gabriella rowing her Gandria boat at high speed in front of Carabietta. 02. Manual skills, passion and tradition: René is an expert fisherman. 02 5 am. The alarm rings. But who talked us into fishing enthusiast. Later on, she was the only this? Now we're awake: let's go and catch our one using the boat that her father bought and, fish for dinner. It's still night, but dawn is coming later still, she worked for years as a guide on and the water is calm and flat as if it were still the boats of Lake Lugano Navigation Company sleeping. Or maybe not. Trout, pike, whitefish (she was actually the last guide in the flesh to and many other kinds of fish abound in Lake work there, “after me they used a cassette!”). Lugano, especially in front of Melide, but also Did her relationship with the lake end after in Agno Gulf and many other places. But these that? Of course not! Quite the contrary! must remain a secret, because fishermen don't Gabriella likes to row and that's always like to reveal their fishing grounds. Gabriella useful on a boat, especially if the owner is a Monfredini Rigiani knows this well, as her life fisherman who needs to cast or draw in the is bound to the water and the lake. nets. Gabriella has a pleasant personality, always Raised in Melide (“But not on the lakeside. with a smile on her face.