Ascona – a town rich in cultural assets. Ascona's medieval centre with its winding alleys has been largely preserved. The town is home to a variety of cafés, restaurants, and boutiques. Its many cultural treasures include the Collegio Papio, founded in 1584, with its beautiful renaissance cloisters, and the Santa Maria della Misericordia Church with its late gothic fresco cycle.
Marvel at the unforgettable beauty of the Brissago islands with their ancient trees, pools with water lilies, and fragrant lotus flowers.
The Parco Eisenhut in Vairano is a botanical garden on the northern slopes of the Gambargono where thousands of camellias, azaleas, rhododendrons, magnolias and mimosas may be seen in bloom. Nameplates along the path indicate the names of the various trees and flowers. Visitors may obtain their favourite plants at the nursery. Vairano is also the venue for the annual camellia exhibition.
A sanatorium was founded on Monte Verità in 1900. This attracted guests who wanted to go back to nature through vegetarian diet, sunbathing and natural clothing. Baron Eduard von der Heydt bought Ascona's favourite local mountain in 1926, and there he built a hotel and opened a centre for Asian culture. During the 1930's, von der Heydt was one of the most well known patrons of the artists who frequented Monte Verità at that time. In 1933, the von der Heydt collection was considered to be, "without exaggeration, unique and quite stunning." After his death, many works of art were transferred to the von der Heydt Museum on Monte Verità.
Monte S. Giorgio is close to Meride and Arzo, the source of the marble that was used for the Vatican. Mecca to dinosaur fans, this location was situated below sea level thousands of years ago and fossilized prehistoric animals have been found in the sedimentary rock. Some of these are on display in a small museum. A natural educational path leads through wild peonies and cyclamens.