sanne, Grandson, Gruyères, La Neu-veville and Le Landeron have alsonow joined, and I’m sure that othersplendid places will soon take up thisopportunity».President Kevin Quattropani outlinesthe requirements the villages must sat-

isfy in order to join the association:«The first is numerical: the townshould not have more than 10,000 in-habitants within the local authorityboundaries (taking into considerationthe many amalgamations that haveoccurred in recent years), and no morethan 2,000 inhabitants in the historiccentre. Obviously it has to have an ar-chitectural and natural heritage ofmerit. There should be a prevalenceof historic buildings in the overall vil-lage architecture, which should be aes-thetically homogeneous. The towncouncil should demonstrate, through

«A lthough small, our coun-try boasts some truly mag-nificent villages, steeped

in history and situated in enchantingplaces». So declares Kevin Quattro-pani, the dynamic president of thenewly-formed association for the mostbeautiful villages of Switzerland, “IBorghi più belli della Svizzera”, whichfollowing the example of initiativesalready up and running in other Eu-ropean countries has decided to dolikewise. «The idea came to me yearsago during one of my many tripsabroad», he explains. «Often, espe-cially in Italy and France, I came acrosssigns at the entrance to towns that said“One of the most beautiful villages

in Italy” or “Listed as one of the loveli-est villages in France”. I started to lookinto the background to the conceptand how these associations haveevolved over the years. At this pointit was clear to me that the conceptcould easily be adapted to our con-text, that this sort of network was miss-ing in Switzerland and it was time todo something about it». Kevin Quattropani set to work im-mediately and in no time at all vari-ous Swiss villages had signed up tothe initiative, which in Quattropani’sown words «aims to create a networkof villages and to give them a voice,as by their very nature they often findthemselves excluded from the major

tourist routes. Synergy is the key wordfor us and the fact that more famoustowns such as Ascona and Gruyèresbelong to the association helps otherless well-known places such as Po-schiavo and Grandson to emerge. Wewant to bring to people’s attention thesmall jewels of towns that are trulyworth discovering». Stefano Steiger, in charge of thetourism department in Ascona, whichwas one of the first towns to join theassociation, points out: «The Associ-ation intends to steadily spread to allthe linguistic regions of Switzerland,in order to rightly avoid too regionala connotation. In addition to Asconaand Morcote, Poschiavo, Saint Ur-

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SMALL IS BEAUTIFULThe newly created association for the most beautiful villages in Switzerland is enjoying greatsuccess and already counts tiny towns of considerable architectural, topographic and artistic meritamong its membership.

Left, Ascona’s lakeside promenade andnarrow streets offer cafés, restaurants,fashion boutiques, shops, art galleries. Below, with its characteristic small alleys,the arcades of old Patrician homes, itsarchitectural monuments and naturalbeauty, Morcote can be considered “thePearl of Ceresio”.

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concrete action, an interest in and astrategy to enhance, develop, promoteand animate its heritage. It is impor-tant to offer visitors as full an experi-ence as possible from a topographic,cultural, historic and gastronomicpoint of view». The councillor fortourism in Ascona adds that «The factthat not all villages can join the As-sociation means that membership of“I Borghi più belli della Svizzera” isa guarantee of quality, which is whatwe are all looking for when we go onholiday». Ascona was instantly so en-thusiastic: «Ascona’s joining was a keymoment», says Steiger, «because it hasa breath-taking lakeside and a historiccentre of unquestionable and well-preserved beauty; it has excellenttourism provision (about 40 hotels, 60restaurants and lots of shops). It hasa busy cultural life (provided byMonte Verità, the Fondazione Eranos,the local museum and many otherplaces) and organizes events of in-ternational interest (such as the Jazz

Festival, which for ten days a yearattracts about 50,000 people to ourlakeside)». No sooner said than done:«Within about two weeks of the ini-tial contact, our town had officiallybecome a member». And now that itis a member of the Association, whatchanges can Ascona and the othermember villages expect? «The ad-vantages are more in the long termthan immediate», replies Stefano Stei-ger. «In fact as soon enough membersfrom all over Switzerland have joined,we will be able to create an interest-ing and innovative tourism circuit,which has already been proven towork in other countries such as Italyand France. Indeed, one could createtourist guides exclusively for “themost beautiful villages in Switzer-land” (there is demand for similarguides in other countries), develop ac-tivities around this brand and – whynot? – even closer contact and ex-changes between the various towns».Here below you will find an overview

of the first villages that have joinedthe Association (you can read our ar-ticle about Gruyères and its region atpag 36).

Ascona (TI)Ascona is famous for its mild climate,its Old Town and a lake promenadewhich is dotted with street cafés andboasts a Latin ambience. This tiny town is refined, picturesque,elegant and romantic, and has alwayshad a passion for beauty and for thepleasures life has to offer, always at-tentive to the quality of the service.The historic centre’s pedestrian alleysare swarmed with boutiques, restau-rants, art galleries and antique stores.The lakeside promenade, recalling afishermen’s village of the past, is to-day a holiday paradise. Unraveling

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through the city’s alleys, the startingpoint is the parish church of San Pietroe Paolo (Saints Peter and Paul) whoseslender bell tower has become As-cona’s emblem. Inside the buildingis the famous altarpiece of the Vir-gin, one of Giovanni Serodine’s mas-terpieces (1600-1630). One cannotavoid searching for traces of his ge-nius in the paternal home, the 17thcentury Casa Serodine, facing thesmall square in front of the church.

Morcote (TI)Morcote, developed on the slopes ofMount Arbostora and once entirelydevoted to fishing, has been men-tioned in the historical documentssince 926. Its lake front is character-ized by buildings with porches and“loggias”: the “Portici” – arches – ofmorcotesian houses are consideredamong the most beautiful in the Tici-no. Among these typical houses, you

can see the Paleari House, an elegantresidence of lords built in 1483 andtransformed in 1661. Its decorationwith the beautiful “stucco” was madeby the artist Abbondio Paleari. Thechurch of Santa Maria del Sasso, theterraced cemetery and the Tower ofthe Captain are the monuments of par-ticular architectural interest.

Poschiavo (GR)Poschiavo, a municipality in the dis-trict of Bernina in the canton ofGraubünden, owes its beauty to theimposing Renaissance style of itscourtly 19th century architecture. Ten buildings in Poschiavo are listedas Swiss heritage sites of national sig-nificance. Three churches and a chapelare included: S. Maria Assunta, S. Vit-tore, S. Carlo Borromeo and VecchioMonastero con cappella monastica diS. Maria Presentata. Three houses areon the list: Casa Tomé, Devon House,

Above, Poschiavo boasts a typically Italianarchitecture. Opposite page, Saint Ursanne haspreserved much of its medieval character.

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der Turm and the Seetor date from thetown’s foundation. The so-calledEglise Blanche, was built in 1345 andexpanded in the 15th century. Thetown hall, rebuilt 1541-69, is now amuseum. The Bernerhaus, established

in 1631, was the autumn residence ofthe Abbots of Bellelay. Rue de Fau-bourg, on the north side of the square,is flanked by houses from the 16th tothe 19th centuries. The fortress of“Schlossberg” was built in 1283 by theBishop of Basle, Heinrich von Isnyas a bulwark against the expansion ofthe Count of Neuchâtel.

Le Landeron (NE)This magnificent medieval town wasbuilt around an area planted with largetrees. Antique shops, handicraft shops,art galleries and restaurants can be

found here. Every year a famous sec-ond-hand goods market is held in thetown over the last weekend in Sep-tember. The Chapelle Ste-Anne, theCroix du Bourg, the neolithic and Ro-man era sites at the Ensemble de laVieille Thielle, the Fountain de St-Maurice, the Fountain du Vaillant andthe Town Hall with the Dix-Mille-Mar-tyrs Chapel and Museum are listed asSwiss heritage site of national signif-icance. The entire town of Le Landeronis part of the Inventory of Swiss Her-itage Sites.

Anna Martano Grigorov

and Li Curt House. Finally, there arethree buildings now used as muse-ums: Mulino di Aino, Palazzo De Bas-sus Mengotti, Palazzo Dorizzi.

Saint Ursanne (JU)Saint-Ursanne, an old town on the

banks of the river Doubs in the can-ton of Jura, has preserved much ofits medieval character. The town con-tains many historical buildings, in-cluding a Romanesque abbey church,a collegiate church, a cloister, manymedieval houses, a hermitage and an

18th-century bridge. Its name refersto Saint Ursicinus, a seventh-centurymonk who built a monastery hereIt’sfamous for its medieval festival everysummer (in July) and its delightfulChristmas market over the first week-end in December.

Grandson (VD)The town’s history is closely boundup with that of the lords of Grand-son who played a very important rolein Romand (French-speaking) Switzer-land from the 5th to the 14th centu-ry; the Grandson line died with OttoIII in 1397. His castle, situated on a hilloverlooking the lake, is one of thelargest fortresses in Switzerland.

La Neuveville (BE)The town of La Neuveville was found-ed in 1312 by the Bishop of Basle. Theearly urban fabric of the town, an al-most perfect square, has three paral-lel streets and a modern road cuttingacross them. Of the towers of the oldfortifications, La Tour Rouge, il Run-

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PICCOLO È BELLO

La neonata associazione “I Borghi più belli della Svizzera” staraccogliendo molti consensi, e gli splendidi villaggi svizzeri diMorcote, Poschiavo, Ascona, Saint Ursanne, Gruyères, Grandson,La Neuveville e Le Landeron vi hanno già aderito con entusia-smo. «Vogliamo portare all’attenzione del grande pubblicoanche piccoli gioielli che vale assolutamente la pena di scopri-re» afferma il fondatore e presidente dell’associazione, KevinQuattropani.

PETIT, C’EST JOLI

La nouvelle association “Les plus beaux villages de Suisse” est entrain de se tailler un joli succès et les splendides villages suissesde Morcote, Poschiavo, Ascona, Saint Ursanne, Gruyères, Grand-son, La Neuville et Le Landeron ont déjà adhéré avec enthou-siasme à cette initiative. « Nous voulons protéger et valoriser lesplus beaux bourgs de notre pays, en attirant l’attention du grandpublic sur de petits bijoux qu’il vaut absolument la peine de dé-couvrir », affirme le président de l’association.

Above, Le Landeron is in the Canton ofNeuchâtel, at Switzerland’s languageborder with the German-speaking cantonof Bern.Opposite page, top, almost 1’000 yearsof history can be traced in the Grandsoncastle; bottom, the old town of LaNeuveville is part of the Inventory of SwissHeritage Sites.

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