Locarno, Lakeside municipality in Ticino, Switzerland
Locarno stretches along the northern shore of Lake Maggiore, where gardens with palms and magnolias climb toward the lower Alpine slopes and pastel buildings line the waterfront promenade. The old town fans out from the Piazza Grande, a wide square surrounded by arcades, cafés, and narrow alleys that lead uphill past churches and small courtyards.
Excavations near Via San Jorio uncovered a necropolis in 1934 with 14 urn burials from the Early Bronze Age containing ceramic and bronze objects. During the Middle Ages, the town changed hands repeatedly between Lombard dukes and Swiss cantons until it became part of Ticino in 1803.
The Piazza Grande transforms into an open-air cinema during the Locarno International Film Festival, gathering filmmakers and cinema enthusiasts each August.
The town operates a network of funiculars, buses, and boats that link the center with surrounding peaks and lakeside points. Most of the core can be explored on foot from Piazza Grande, while cable railways climb to Madonna del Sasso and higher elevations.
Palms grow alongside chestnuts and cypresses here, while the surrounding peaks carry snow well into spring. Despite its Alpine location, the town enjoys a climate closer to the Ligurian coast, with mild winters and Mediterranean plants in private gardens.
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