Page 230 - (DK Eyewitness) Travel Guide - Switzerland

16 Locarno, there is a performing line Contrada Mag giore. Piazza
arts school, founded by the
San Pietro is dominated by the
Centovalli famous Swiss clown Dimitri. 16th-century Chiesa dei Santi
Nearby Intragna has a Baroque Pietro e Paolo, which has an
! E5 n Intragna; 091 780 church. Palagnedra has a small altar piece painted by Giovanni
75 00
Gothic church decorated with Serodine, a pupil of Caravaggio.
The stunning Centovalli 15th-century frescoes. Also notable are the Collegio
(Hundred Valleys) is so named Centovalli Railway Papio, which has a pretty
for the many side valleys that
Renaissance arcaded court-
EXPERIENCE Central Switzerland and Ticino a spectacularly scenic route 17 The Museo Comunale d’Arte
yard, and Santa Maria della
⌂ Via Franzoni 1, Locarno
cut into it. The Centovalli
∑ centovalli.ch
Misericordia, a church with col-
Railway, from Locarno to
ourful 15th-century frescoes.
Domodossola in Italy, takes
up the Centovalli. On this
Moderna, in a 16th-century
palazzo, contains work by
journey of about 40 km
Ascona
(25 miles), the train crosses
artists who flocked to the
79 bridges or viaducts over
town, including Paul Klee.
! E6 n Via B Papio 5, www.
Piazza Motta, a ped estrianized
deep canyons and passes
ascona-locarno.com
lakefront promen ade, is home
through 24 tunnels. The
A small fishing village for
to cafés and restaurants.
first part of the journey leads
many centuries, Ascona
along the vineyard-covered
developed in the early 20th
Val Pedemonte and then
wends its way through rugged
fashionable health resort,
country side and deep forests
Valle Verzasca
attracting writers, painters
full of chestnut trees.
The train stops at several
and composers. Nearby Monte
! E5 n Via ai Giardini,
villages along the route. At century, when it became a 18
Verita (Hill of Truth) was
Tenero; www.ascona-
Verscio, 4 km (2.5 miles) from established as a progressive locarno.com
colony around the same time,
attracting some of Europe’s Washed by the emerald
leading thinkers, artists, waters of the River Verzasca,
1995 revolutionaries and writers. this is an excep tion ally scenic
Ascona’s exquisite Old Town
valley lying north of Locarno.
(Centro Storico) is a maze of A gigantic dam, the Contra
The year Swiss clown narrow cobbled streets, with Dam, near the mouth of the
Dimitri was inducted small craft shops and art valley has created the Lago di
into the International galleries. Many of the most Vogorno, a large artificial lake.
Clown Hall of Fame. picturesque of Ascona’s histor ic The valley is lined with
buildings, the oldest of which villages, whose stone houses
date from the 14th century, cling to the mountainsides.
Vogorno has a small church
decorated with Byzantine
frescoes. Near Lavertezzo,
the river is spanned by the
INSIDER TIP
Bungee Jump
James Bond did it, so
they call the 220 m-
(722 ft-) bungee jump
from the Contra Dam
“the 007”. The tallest
bungee in the world,
you can jump at night,
or even go backwards.
The handsome Italian-style
buildings and cobbled streets
of Ascona’s Old Town
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