Ascona is the pretty cousin of Locarno, a few minutes along the lakeshore, and the better place to sit down. The old centre is a tangle of narrow lanes, houses painted in ochre and rose and a waterfront promenade lined with cafes, and the whole thing looks out across Lake Maggiore toward the mountains of Italy. Boats bob in the harbour and light dances off the water, and in the evening the terraces fill with people who have no particular plans.
Ascona has an unusual history. At the beginning of the twentieth century, a group of idealists settled on the hill of Monte Verità above the town, and started an experimental community based on vegetarianism, nudism, free love, natural medicine and a general rejection of industrial society. The colony attracted artists, writers, dancers, anarchists and philosophers from across Europe, among them the writer Hermann Hesse, who lived not far away and visited, and the dancer Mary Wigman. The buildings on the hill, which include a Bauhaus-style hotel, are now a museum and a conference centre, and the park with its tea house is open to visitors.
Offshore lie the Brissago Islands, two small islands in the lake that hold a botanical garden filled with subtropical plants from around the world, accessible by boat from the Ascona waterfront. The mild climate of the lake allows palms, citrus and rare plants to thrive, and in spring the gardens bloom spectacularly. The lake itself is cool and calm, a blue so intense that it seems artificial, and a ride out to the islands is a nice change from the saddle.
The road from Locarno to Ascona is short and flat, running past the mouth of the Maggia river, and the real riding begins in the hills above, where narrow roads climb through chestnut woods to stone villages with views of the lake. Surfaces are generally good, but the lanes are narrow and traffic in summer can be heavy with cars looking for parking. Weekdays in spring or autumn are better, and mornings are quietest.
Ascona is a small town of about five thousand people, so it has fuel and the usual services, though Locarno has more. Parking for motorcycles is limited near the promenade, so look for the bays at the edge of the old town. A plate of grilled lake fish, a glass of local wine and a slow walk along the waterfront is as good an end to a day as you will find.