Locarno sits at the northern tip of Lake Maggiore, at about two hundred metres above sea level, and the lake itself, at roughly a hundred and ninety metres, is the lowest point in Switzerland. The effect is that the air feels soft and mild, even in winter, and palm trees, camellias and magnolias grow along the promenade, a startling sight for anyone who has just ridden down from the snow of the Gotthard. Ticino is Swiss, but it is also Italian in its language, its food and its pace, and the evening here has a distinctly Mediterranean rhythm.
The Piazza Grande, the long arcaded square in the middle of town, is the centre of life, and in August the huge screen that appears there for the Locarno Film Festival, which began in 1946, draws thousands of people to watch films under the stars. Above the town, the sanctuary of Madonna del Sasso, founded in the late fifteenth century after a vision of the Virgin, clings to a rock with a view over the lake, and can be reached by funicular or a stepped path through chapels. Along the shore, Ascona, a small, pretty town of pastel houses and lakeside cafés, was once a haven for artists, writers and dreamers, and it still has a bohemian charm.
For a rider, the arrival is a pleasure, because after the long climb and descent of the alpine passes the road drops into warmth and a landscape of vines, chestnut woods and stone villages. In the evening, the lake road and the winding lanes of the nearby valleys, such as the Centovalli, are quiet and beautiful. Traffic in the town centre can be slow on summer evenings, with tourists and local traffic crowding the narrow streets, and parking is tight, so plan to leave the bike in a secure place.
Locarno and its neighbours, Muralto and Minusio, have a full range of services, with fuel, repair shops, supermarkets and many hotels, and there is no shortage of choice for the night. Book ahead in July and August and during the film festival.
For supper, find a grotto, a traditional Ticinese restaurant, for polenta, risotto or a plate of local cured meats, with a glass of Merlot, the region's signature red wine.