PESCARENICO
An old fishing village, ideal for a walk in the heart of the city of Lecco.Read more
TORRE VISCONTEA
Symbol of the walled city, known as the medieval tower in Lecco.Read more
RÉSERVE NATURELLE DES TOURBIÈRES DU SEBINO
Natural reserve with reeds and water bodies for a change.Read more
DUOMO DI SANTA MARIA MADDALENA
Large parish church built from 1586 in Desenzano del Garda.Read more
MUSEO ARCHEOLOGICO RAMBOTTI
Museum dedicated to Giovanni Rambotti, archaeologist who discovered the ...Read more
VILLA ROMANA
Villa with a view of the lake, with a small museum exhibiting the remains ...Read more
MUSEO DELLA BATTAGLIA DI SAN MARTINO
Museum located on a hill to honor the memory of King Victor Emmanuel II.Read more
DUOMO DI SANTA MARIA ANNUNZIATA
Cathedral nestled between the historic center of Salo and the port.Read more
GIARDINO BOTANICO FONDAZIONE ANDRÈ HELLER
Incredible botanical garden dotted with contemporary artworks in Gardone ...Read more
PINACOTECA TOSIO MARTINENGO
Museum housing one of the most beautiful art collections in Lombardy.Read more
BRIXIA - PARCO ARCHEOLOGICO
Sacred buildings of the city concentrated between Via dei Musei and the ...Read more
CITADEL AND MUNICIPAL MUSEUMS
Museum gathering the vestiges found in the region, from Prehistory to the ...Read more
MUSEO DONIZETTIANO
Museum paying tribute to the great composer Gaetano Donizetti in Bergamo.Read more
MUSEO DEL TESORO DELLA CATTEDRALE
Museum tracing the history and origin of the church of Bergamo.Read more
COLLEGE MUSEUM
An exceptional museum center with a basilica designed by the Solari ...Read more
TERRE BORROMEO
Tourist office useful for obtaining tourist information on part of Lake ...Read more
ORRIDO DI BELLANO
Read moreThis natural gorge was created 15 million years ago. Over the years, erosion by the Pioverna torrent and the Adda glacier carved out the rock and formed the narrow canyon we see today. The site can be explored along footbridges over the water, offering wonderful views of the waterfalls and the rocks on which the light reflects.
VILLA PLINIANA
Villa built in Torno by the governor of Como Giovanni Anguissolo.Read more
GIARDINI GIUSTI
A beautiful Renaissance garden with a belvedere offering a beautiful view ...Read more
CITY SIGHTSEEING VERONA
Two hop on hop off itineraries with audio commentary in seven languages.Read more
CHIESA DI SANTO STEFANO
Church near Ponte Pietra with works by 17th century Veronese artists.Read more
CHIESA DI SAN GIOVANNI IN FONTE
A church with remains of frescoes from the 13th, 14th and 15th centuries ...Read more
VIA SOTTORIVA
Charming alley, lined with porticos and houses of the XIII and XIV ...Read more
CHÂTEAU VISCONTI
Read moreThe castle, built between 1575 and 1593, has uncertain origins and part of the building is even said to date from 1342. According to studies, it is Leonardo da Vinci who drew the current plans. The exterior - an outstanding example of Renaissance style - was restored in 1923. It now houses the Archaeological Museum, which contains objects found in the Locarno area from the late Bronze Age through the Roman remains to the early Middle Ages. A section of the museum is dedicated to the history of the Protestant Reformation in Locarno.
PINACOTECA COMUNALE CASA RUSCA
Read moreThe Pinacoteca Casa Rusca is housed in a restored 18th century building. It was inaugurated in 1987 and houses the city's art collections. It has a total of 4,500 works - paintings, sculptures and graphic arts. Mainly 20th century modernist artists. The collection includes works by Theo Van Doesburg, Alexander Calder... The museum does not have a permanent exhibition and displays its collection in temporary exhibitions. Find out more on their website.
GAMBAROGNO BOTANICAL PARK
Read moreThis park is located on the Riviera del Gambarogno, between the small villages of Vairano and Piazzogna. Occupying a small elevation, it owes its creation to the nurseryman Otto Eisenhut who, in an area of 17,000 square metres, has gathered more than 950 species of flowers (camellias, magnolias, azaleas, junipers, exotic firs). It can be reached by car and bus (stop in front of the Gambarogno restaurant; the park is 2 minutes away, just after the bridge).
FONDAZIONE MONTE VERITÀ
Read moreMonte 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.
MUNICIPAL MUSEUM OF MODERN ART
Read moreHoused 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...
CHURCH OF SAN PIETRO E PAOLO
Read moreIn 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.
ASCONA LOCARNO
Read moreThis 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.
BOTANIC PARK
Read moreFormerly privately owned, this beautiful botanical park was taken over by the Canton of Ticino and opened to the public in 1950. Enjoying a subtropical climate, Ticino's only island garden (2.5 ha) is home to 2,000 plant species from the Mediterranean, Asia, South Africa, the Americas and Oceania. The beaches are attractive, but swimming is prohibited! It's a great place to visit, especially for families, with a short boat trip to the island. There's a restaurant, bar and hotel on site, so you can make the most of the place.
CASTLE SASSO CORBARO
Read morePerched 230 metres above sea level on a rocky outcrop, this ducal fortress is part of the city's fortified enclosure, classified by Unesco as a World Heritage site (year 2000) along with the Castelgrande and Montebello castles. Its name derives from its position, on top of a rock, like the feathers of a raven - in the Corbatt dialect. It is typical of the Sforza family, with a quadrangular tower, a keep and impressive walls 4.70 m thick. It was built in 1479 by Benedetto Ferrini, a military engineer from Florence, but he died of the plague before seeing it completed. In fact, it's the only one of the three castles with a precise construction date! It was built in just over six months, to complete the defensive line and block the road to Milan for the Confederates. The Emma Poglia room inside the castle is particularly opulent and refined, in a Baroque and Nordic style, all in solid walnut. It dates back to the 17th century. This room was also used as a "stüva", or heating room, as evidenced by the room's stone stove, which bears the family coat of arms. Don't miss the view over the city from the castle's Belvedere, which houses temporary exhibitions. In winter, the château is closed, but the exterior and interior courtyards are open to visitors. Please note: the restoration work carried out between 2004 and 2006 has enabled the surrounding network of paths to be redeveloped with respect for nature.
CHURCH OF SANTA MARIA DELLE GRAZIE
Read moreThis church dates back to the end of the th century. This was mentioned for the first time in 1480. The interior shared by a large lateral wall, according to the Franciscan usage, is an exquisite inspiration. It is painted entirely by a fresco where it can be noted that Renaissance refinement leaves free reign to an ornamental sincerity invaded by grace. In its centre is the Crucifixion, and around fifteen paintings expressing the life of Christ.
PIAZZA INDIPENDENZA AND SAN ROCCO CHURCH
Read moreDuring the celebration of the centenary of Napoleon's Act of Mediation, which established the autonomy of the canton, this square took its current name. The square coincides with the southern access to the medieval city and echoes the Piazza del Sole, which gave access to the city to those arriving from the north. Nowadays, Piazza del Sole has been completely restored by the architect Livio Vacchini. A little further on is another important square: the Piazza della Collegiata called Piazza Grande.
PIAZZA NOSETTO
Read moreIt is the oldest square in the city, the only one whose name is mentioned since the Middle Ages. It was here that the communal well where the inhabitants used to get their supplies and where the town hall is located. The present building from the beginning of the 20th century is reconstructed on the remains of an earlier building, dating from the 14th century, which corresponded to the Copertum comunis. It was here that justice was administered. In the 15th century it was renovated and included the meeting rooms of the local government, the chancellery and the Milanese officers' residence.
MONTEBELLO CASTLE
Read moreIt is part of the defensive wall of the fortified city between the 13th and 15th centuries. True intact vestiges of the Middle Ages, they bear witness to the military importance of building large protective walls around the towns. Decorated by the architects Mario Campiet Franco Pessina, it is divided into two cells. Fifteenth-century capitals, drawings, sketches and engravings by artists, guns and firearms make up the first part. The second section, known as the archaeological section, contains numerous objects from Ticino. Magnificent!
MUSEO VILLA DEI CEDRI
Read moreEach year, the municipal art gallery offers temporary exhibitions to enhance the presentation of its own collection of Swiss and Italian figurative art of the 19th and 20th centuries. The collection includes works by 19th-century artists such as Chiesa, Feragutti and Visconti. The gallery has recently undergone major renovations. The guides are particularly knowledgeable and friendly. You can then take your time to stroll through the lovely park, with its superb cedar trees, which is well worth a visit.
MUSEUM AND CONTEMPORARY ART CENTRE
Read moreFounded in 1994, it is the Centre d'art contemporain du canton du Tessin (CACT). You can be sure of being at the heart of cultural trends, as the museum's mission is to promote exhibitions on a variety of themes. It also promotes the launch of thematic publications. It puts new artists in touch with each other and participates in collection exchanges within the framework of the Ticino contemporary art museums. The museum is very modern, well organized and pleasant to visit.
CASTELGRANDE CASTLE
Read moreCastelgrande is an imposing castle within its walls, classified as a World Heritage Site by UNESCO like its neighbours. It dominates the city and to get there on foot you will have to climb stairs. But it's worth the effort because the view is superb from up there. Of the three castles that made up the medieval defence system of the city of Bellinzona, Castelgrande is the most imposing and even - the most important in Switzerland! Altered in the 15th century by the engineers of the Milanese Dukes at the same time as the rest of the fortifications, it became the keystone of the powerful wall, almost 500 m long, which then barred the Ticino valley in order to protect the Duchy of Milan and control the road leading to the Gotthard Pass. Between 1980 and 1991, Castelgrande underwent a restoration project led by the architect Aurelio Galfetti, which successfully blended the modern with the old. Today, the castle houses a museum, the History Archaeology and Art History Museum, which tells the story of the town for 6,500 years. To complete the premises, several establishments, including a gastronomic restaurant (40 seats) and a Ticino tavern (40 seats), have taken up residence in the large inner courtyard of the castle. There is also a large panoramic terrace at the foot of the south wing of the castle (80 seats). Also worth a visit with a passo common to all three places: the Castello di Sasso Corbaro and the Castello di Montebello and its archaeological museum.
OFFICE DE TOURISME
Read moreThe tourist office will be happy to guide you on a tour of the three castles for which Bellinzona is famous. The Guest Card entitles you to visit Bellinzona's castles, the permanent and temporary exhibitions in the castles and entry to the Villa dei Cedri. The region's must-see attractions are also suggested, including Leventina, the Blenio Valley, Biasca and Riviera. Bellinzona's old town feels provincial, and this is reflected in the local gastronomy. Ask for advice on tasting the local cheese.
PARC TASSINO
Read moreHuge park (21,000m2) with many activities: games for children, fenced area with animals, paths to the Enderlin Tower, named after the family of the former owner of the park. The Tassino park also offers a magnificent panoramic view. Thanks to its sunny position, the flora is particularly abundant: roses, magnolias, wisteria... In summer, people come here to settle down and take advantage of the sun to take a break. The plus: if you travel with your pet, the park has a fenced area reserved for dogs.
MUSEC LUGANO
Read moreOpened in 1989, this museum permanently exhibits the famous Brignoni-Aramis donation. Serge Brignoni (1903-2002) was a Swiss Italian artist - painter and sculptor - who decided in 1985 to bequeath his collection to the city of Lugano. Since then, supplemented by other donations, inside this museum we discover a rich collection of objects of ethnological, historical and artistic interest from Oceania (Melanesia, Polynesia), Indonesia (Kalimatam, Bali...) and Africa (Ibo, Senufo...). Regular temporary exhibitions.
HERB MUSEUM
Read moreThe first and only Ticino museum for children, it is also the first external branch of the Musée en herbe de Paris. It offers educational and interactive exhibitions related to the world of art. The whole museography is based on humour and play, which is ideal for getting children interested without them getting bored. There are many workshops proposed either for children alone or in duo with an adult. A nice moment of sharing in anticipation! Count between two and four hours to go around without hurrying.
PARCO SAN GRATO
Read moreAt an altitude of 690 m, overlooking the village, this 60,000 m² jewel invites visitors to discover it on foot. The rhododendrons and azaleas in bloom and the wide variety of plants will enchant any garden lover and keep them coming back for more. On site, five themed trails (botanical, panoramic, relaxing, artistic and fairy-tale) and a sensory trail await your escape. For the kids, there's a playground to keep them busy and entertained. Take your time, stroll around and enjoy... And good news: admission is free!
SANCTUARY OF THE MADONNA D'ONGERO
Read moreThis well-preserved Baroque church, set slightly off-center in a small wood above Carona, is one of the finest examples of Baroque decorative art. Built in the 17th century on top of a small chapel dating from 1515, the church boasts several attractive exterior arcades. It houses frescoes by Giuseppe Antonio Petrini (1667-1759) and sculptures by Alessandro Casella dating from 1646. A shaded Way of the Cross leads to the church.
SAN ANTONIO ABATE CHAPEL
Read moreThis small chapel is located between the church of Santa Maria del Sasso and the village of Morcote. This small building dating back to the late Middle Ages is worth visiting for the surprising paintings on its south wall: about twenty souls, represented as completely naked men, are trapped in a net (the Purgatory) and try to get out; those who manage to free themselves are saved by angels. Those who manage to free themselves are saved by the angels, while the others are dragged along by the demons.
FOSSIL MUSEUM
Read more200 million years ago, the region was submerged beneath the waters of the Mediterranean. This small museum illustrates Monte San Giorgio's geological past. Designed by renowned architect Mario Botta, the 4-storey building was inaugurated in 2012. It showcases the extraordinary plant and animal fossils found here from 240 to 180 million years ago (Triassic). A wide variety of marine fossils can also be admired. This completely renovated museum is exciting and interactive: ideal for a visit with children.
SANTUARIO DI SANTA CATERINA DEL SASSO
One of the most evocative places of Lake Maggiore, suspended on a cliff.Read more
SANCTUAIRE DE SANTA CATERINA DEL SASSO
One of the most evocative places on the lake, a sanctuary suspended from a ...Read more
FUNIVIA DEL SASSO DEL FERRO
Funny two-seater cable car in yogurt pot mode from the center of Laveno.Read more