A seasonal information to Switzerland’s best-kept culinary secret

Set on the sunlit northern shores of island-speckled Lake Maggiore, Ascona-Locarno brings a contact of the Med to the mountains: palm bushes, cafe-rimmed piazzas, botanical gardens and gelato all set to hazy views of the not-so-distant Alps. The meals is simply as fabulous as you would possibly anticipate, starting from alpine cheeses to Merlot wines, wealthy braised meats to earthy risottos and panettones that style of Christmas. Seasonal delicacies is your quick observe to Ascona-Locarno’s soul — this is tips on how to take advantage of the area’s larder all yr spherical.

Forage for wild vegetation

Best for: spring
Ascona-Locarno’s parks and gardens erupt into wonderful, vibrant bloom in spring. Better nonetheless, the fresh-scented forests — set in peaceable valleys set again from the lake — provide the chance to forage for edible wild herbs, flowers and vegetation. Wild garlic, nettles, dandelions, linden tree leaves and candy violet may be gathered to pep up salads, soups and truffles. You can go it alone or be a part of one of many foraging programs and tastings led by Milo Bissegger, who is aware of these woods, meadows and mountains just like the again of his hand. His foraging walks are about greater than what you decide — they provide a aware second in nature, plus entry to corners of the area few get to see. 

Also attempt: Milo’s aunt, Meret, is equally obsessed with foraging and sluggish meals. Join one in every of her foraging walks earlier than whipping up what you’ve discovered into scrumptious dishes on a cookery course.

Dig into Ticinese specialities on a grotto terrace

Best for: summer time
After a day spent mountain climbing in river-woven valleys, boating throughout Lake Maggiore or pedalling by beech and chestnut woods, it’s exhausting to withstand the vine-swaddled terrace of a grotto. Grotti had been initially caves for storing meals in cool situations earlier than evolving into rustic taverns that present a backstage move to Ticino’s rural coronary heart. Pull up a chair at a stone desk for a refreshing bianchino (a glass of white Merlot) and feast of regional produce. Menus swing with the seasons, however you’ll be able to anticipate to see the likes of cicitt — lengthy, skinny goat sausages, roasted over an open hearth — brasato (beef braised in pink wine) with polenta, and porcini risotto, in addition to sharing platters of native cheeses and cured meats. For dessert, attempt torta di pane, bread pudding cake laced with spices and candied fruit. You’re sure to seek out your personal grotto, however favourites embrace Grottino Ticinese in Losone, close to Ascona, and Grotto Cà Rossa within the Vallemaggia.

Also attempt: Mother Nature actually labored her magic within the Vallemaggia, north of Locarno. This pretty valley seduces with a glass-clear river for wild swimming, 3,000m (9,840ft) peaks and time-lost granite valleys. It’s greatest explored by mountain climbing a stretch of the 124-mile Via Alta (although that is an avanced route, so novice Alpinists beware).

Experience the wine harvest at Cantina Carrara

Best for: autumn

Pinned to a vine-ribbed hillside, with dreamy views out throughout the lake and forested mountains, Cantina Carrara — an agriturismo near Lake Maggiore — extends a heartfelt household welcome. During the autumn harvest, gold and red-rust vines make a painterly scene, whereas the fruity scent of freshly picked grapes scents the air. Join vintner Graziano Carrara for a tour of his historic granite cellar and a tasting of the wines he produces from vines that thrive within the native microclimate, together with pink and white Merlots and glowing wines made utilizing the Champagne technique. Spend an evening within the winery’s rustic vacation condo earlier than assembling a picnic and putting out on the six-mile Percorso Vitae, a round strolling route that winds by vineyards and woods.

Also attempt: Edging north, Val Verzasca is a ravishing, river-cleaved valley. Its forested heights are sprinkled with fairly granite villages — together with Switzerland’s second smallest, Corippo, residence to only 9 individuals.

Embrace Christmas traditions on Lake Maggiore

Best for: winter

There’s no place like Lake Maggiore in winter, the place you’ll be able to go from snow-cloaked slopes to piazza-side aperitivos in minutes. Start issues on a excessive by taking the cable automobile up 1,671m (4,582ft) to Cardada Cimetta for snowshoeing, sledding and winter mountain climbing. The summit boasts gasp-eliciting views reaching all the way in which from the lake to Switzerland’s highest peak, the 4,634m (15,203ft) Dufourspitze. Back at floor stage, winters are sunny and gentle, which means you’ll be able to seize an al fresco espresso earlier than hitting fantastically lit Christmas markets alongside the lakeshore. The spotlight is Winterland on Locarno’s Piazza Grande, with its meals stalls, ice rink, double-decker carousel and putting star illuminations. Nativity scenes are introduced vividly to life in historic villages like Vira Gambarogno. And for the right take-home reward, cease by Pasticceria Dolce Monaco, whose butter-rich, raisin-speckled panettone is among the many greatest.

Also attempt: Warm winters deliver a burst of hot-pink color within the type of flowering camellias. See them at Parco delle Camelie — residence to 1,100 styles of the flower, showcased every March in the course of the Camelie Locarno exhibition.

(Surprised by Ascona-Locarno? Discover extra of Switzerland right here.)