Things to see and do Ascona

Monte Verità, set in the hills overlooking Ascona and Lake Maggiore, has always been a pole of attraction and convergence of ideas, trends, experiments and historic personalities. The alternative and vegetarian colony of the early ^20th century created the myth of Monte Verità, which soon became a meeting place for anarchists, philosophers and intellectuals. The Ascona hill was first home to a sanatorium, then an artists' community around the 1920s, before being purchased by Eduard von der Heydt, a German banker and art collector. It then became a modern hotel resort, welcoming celebrities from the worlds of art, politics and culture. On the Baron's death, it was ceded to the canton of Ticino. Today, it is a multi-purpose institution comprising a cultural and museum center, hotel, restaurant and conference center. The park features Casa Selma, a small air-light hut built in 1904 by the first settlers, and Casa Anatta. The Casa Anatta has been restored as a center for a wide variety of exhibitions on subjects such as utopia and the reform of the soul. The main building houses the exhibition "Monte Verità. Le mammelle della verità" by Harald Szeemann, which presents various aspects of the hill's history. The Padiglione Elisarion in the park houses the painting Chiaro mondo dei beati(Clear World of the Blessed), painted between 1919 and 1929 by Elisar von Kupffer, a painter, poet, historian and playwright from the Baltic nobility.

Housed in a patrician house, it presents temporary exhibitions of modernist artists. In the first half of the twentieth century, many painters chose Ascona as a retreat, thinking they would find inspiration in this place of work. Some of them even settled here and ended up bequeathing some of their works to the town, which led to the creation of a municipal museum such as Paul Klee, Richard Seewald or Italo Valenti...

In a small square in the historical centre of Ascona stands the church of San Pietro e Paolo, dating back to the 16th century. You can admire its beautiful bell tower and its beautiful sundial. This church is famous above all for the paintings it houses, especially the following three paintings : The Coronation of the Virgin, The Sons of Zebedee, The Invitation to Emmaus by the master Giovanni Serodine, a native of the town. Born in the early 17th century, he was a pupil of Caravaggio.

This information point will guide you in your choice of visits in the Ascona and Locarno area. But before you set off to discover the other towns of Ticino, take time to enjoy a delicious ice cream on the terrace or a delicious fish dish from the lake. Ascona exudes Italian charm. Colors, flavors and above all good humor make it a pleasant place to stay. You'll find good advice on accommodation at the tourist office. And don't forget to ask for the best diving spots on Lake Maggiore.