t A quiet sunny day in Piazza Grande, the core of the town of Locarno

Experience Central Switzerland and Ticino

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This rectangular paved square, one of Switzerland’s biggest, is the focus of life in Locarno. Along its north side are 19th-century buildings with arcades of shops, cafés and restaurants. There is a weekly market here selling handicrafts and local produce on Thursdays, concerts are held in July, and during the well-renowned International Film Festival, a ten-day extravaganza held in early August, the square becomes an open-air cinema, lined with rows of seats and a huge screen.

Completed in 1572, the church of St Francis stands on the site of a 13th-century Franciscan monastery. The eagle, ox and lamb on its Renaissance façade represent Locarno’s aristocrats, ordinary citizens and country-dwellers respectively. The interior decoration dates mainly from the 18th century.

The origins of this castle go back to the 12th century, when it was built for the Orelli family. In 1342 ownership fell into the hands of the Milanese Visconti family. The dovetailed crenellation of the walls and the towers dates from a series of 15th-century expansions, as does the ravelin fortification, believed to be the work of Leonardo da Vinci. The surviving wing now houses an archaeology museum, which has a particularly good collection of Roman artifacts.

Lined with trees, plants and shrubs from around the world, this lakeshore promenade resembles the seafront boulevards of the French Riviera. The promenade leads northwards to the end of the lake, where the Ghisla Art Collection, a small gallery, hangs an eclectic array of abstract art. To the south, the promenade leads towards the marina, beyond which is a sandy beach and an impressive public pool.

Built in the 12th-century, the Romanesque basilica of San Vittore stands on the site of a 10th-century church in Muralto, east of the train station. The basilica’s belfry, begun in the 16th century but only completed in 1932, has a charming Renaissance relief of St Victor. The austere interior bears traces of medieval frescoes, and below, the crypt contains columns with carved capitals.

This church, also known as Chiesa Santa Maria Assunta, was completed in 1636. Its construction was funded by the architect Cristoforo Orelli. It has a splendid pastel-painted Baroque interior with sumptuous stuccowork and paintings depicting scenes from the life of the Virgin. Gracing the west front is a large statue of St Christopher with unusually tiny feet for a statue of its size. The Palazzo Cristoforo Orelli, next to the church, now serves as the canon’s office.

This elegant 18th-century residence, with an arcaded courtyard, houses Locarno’s art gallery. Fully refurbished in 2018, the museum focuses on the work of modern and contemporary artists, many of whom have donated pieces of their work to the gallery. A highlight of the permanent collection is a display of work by Hans Arp (1886–1966), the Dadaist artist who spent his final years in Locarno.

The pilgrimage church of the Madonna of the Rock (Santa Maria Assunta) overlooks the town from the summit of a wooded spur. Dating from 1596, the church stands on the site of a chapel that was built in 1487 to mark the spot where legend claims the Madonna appeared before Bartolomeo da Ivrea, a monk in the Franciscan order. The present church is decorated with frescoes and oil paintings, including an altarpiece with the Flight into Egypt painted by Bramantino in 1522.

t Detail of the exquisite ceiling of Santuario della Madonna del Sasso

It was in this palazzo that the Treaty of Locarno, drawn up between Germany and other European countries in the aftermath of World War I, was ratified in 1925.