But why did naturists, visionaries and Utopians who dreamt of a new world and a better way of life choose to plant their colonies here? Why, after the war, did European writers, artists and intellectuals, from Hesse to Remarque, from Frisch to Highsmith, from Jawlenski to Max Ernst, decide to live there? There is an answer, and it's the one the tourists give. Here palm trees grow next to chestnuts and between the dry stone walls there's the agave; here the walks above the lake offer views which remind one of the Côte d'Azur; here the air is scented with jasmine, the light has the intense colours and reflections of the south, and even life promises to be easier...

Access

By railway:

• from north: line St. Gotthard: 3 hrs from Zürich, 7 hrs from Frankfurt a. M., 10 hrs from Paris.
  
• from south: line Milano 2 œ hrs. 7 œ hrs from Rome
  
• Centovallina: ( Domodossola - Locarno ): 5 hrs. from Geneva, 2 hrs from Domodossola
  

By car:

• The Lago Maggiore area can be reached easily in summer and winter by the excellent highway A2 Basel Chiasso, exit Bellinzona south, accessible via Simplon, and via Centovalli
  
• from Northern Italy along the Lake Maggiore
  

Madrid: 1800 Km; London: 1150 Km; Berne: 270 Km; Berlin: 930 Km

By air:

• direct flights from the bigger Swiss and international cities to Lugano-Agno airport (40 Km)
  
• Shuttle-bus Lugano - Milan/Malpensa (100 Km)
  
• International airport Zürich/Kloten (212 Km)
  

By boat:

• Connections by boat and wing boat from/to Italy by the shipping company "Lago Maggiore".
  

Lake Maggiore is the image of the South - a surprising and magical South, near the heart of Europe, with the Alps as a backdrop. Within a few kilometres you can leave behind the gentle shores of the lake with its lively towns and palm trees and discover the enchantment of the majestic green valleys, leading up to peaks of over 3,000 metres with glaciers and breathtaking Alpine scenery, dotted with little villages of stone houses hidden away in the chestnut forests, and traversed by rivers where the water is the colour of emerald. As a land of emotions and contrasts Lake Maggiore is the ideal destination for your holidays. There's everything: unspoilt nature, spectacular scenery, the best climate in Switzerland, major cultural events, beaches, lake shores, an early spring, a golden autumn, wine and food specialities, and an infinite number of possibilities for excursions and for every kind of physical activity, from golf to the extreme sports like canyoning and the best bungee jumping in Switzerland.