Ascona

The relatively low-lying canton of Ticino, situated south of the Alps, enjoys a Mediterranean climate and imports a distinctive Italian flavour to Switzerland. The village of Ascona on the shore of Lake Maggiore is a regional centre for the arts and its backstreets are filled with art galleries and craft shops. The community of artists and intellectuals living here at the beginning of the century embraced the ‘back to nature’ movement and welcomed the exiled Lenin for a time. The Museo Comunale D’Arte Moderna includes paintings by artists connected with the town, among them Paul Klee, Hans Arp, Ben Nicholson and Alexej Jawlensky.