Grand Tour Highlights in Ticino

Even the Romans avoided the immense mass of the Gotthard. The Pass only gained significance around the year 1200, when the Schöllenen Ravine between Göschenen and Andermatt was developed. Today the Gotthard Pass is the main North-South connection, traversed by leisure hikers and pass enthusiasts.

The fortifications of Bellinzona are an extraordinary example of a late-medieval defensive structure located at a key strategic point on the Alpine pass. The castles of Bellinzona are among the most marvelous examples of medieval fortified architecture in the Alps.

Ascona – the jewel on Lake Maggiore. Stroll along the famous lakeside promenade with its colourful houses and many cafés, look out over the lake and the wonderful mountain scenery, explore the old town and enjoy the Mediterranean flair of this town in Ticino.

Its summit offers up magnificent views and those inclined to scratch about on it will be left with the impression that marine fauna and other large animals once lived here.

It's worth making the trip here just for the views of the city and Lake Lugano. Opposite stands San Salvatore, Monte San Giorgio looms above the lake and dam of Melide and the Valais Alps can be seen to the west.

The old beech forests in Valle di Lodano in Vallemaggia are an enormous forest reservation set amidst a fascinating landscape with numerous natural elements and testimony of past human activities.