Ticino: Swiss lakes, Italian style

Route description

Start in Lugano, where a lakeside promenade with palm trees runs below the old town and funiculars climb Monte Brè and Monte San Salvatore. Take the A2 north over the Monte Ceneri and join road 13 for Locarno on Lake Maggiore.

Locarno has an arcaded Piazza Grande, home of the film festival in August, and the pilgrimage church of Madonna del Sasso on the hillside above the town. From nearby Tenero the valley road climbs past the Verzasca dam into the Valle Verzasca.

At Lavertezzo the double-arched Ponte dei Salti crosses clear emerald water between smooth granite boulders. The water is cold and the current can be strong after rain, so swim only in calm pools. The road ends at Sonogno, a village of grey stone houses at the head of the valley.

The Verzasca road is narrow with few passing places, and parking is limited and paid, so avoid summer weekends if you can. Spring and early autumn are the most pleasant seasons, with fewer crowds and still warm days by the lakes.