Wednesday July 16, 2024, Lugano, Switzerland

I had the day off from matches in Lugano today, so decided to take a half day trip to Locarno, on Lake Maggiore in Southern Switzerland.

Of course before heading off the Locarno, I practiced (at 7:30am) with Leanne and did an exercise routine, went by the Club midday to sign up for practice courts tomorrow and scouted the other group in the W65. Then I bought a day ticket for Lugano to the train station and a ticket (in my SBB app) to Locarno, which is about 30 minutes away by train.

Locarno is a resort town, on a lake, with a nice promenade, beautiful mountains rising up from the lake (sound familiar), lots of cafes, hotels and restaurants rimming the main promenade & gelato stands galore. I first walked along the promenade, taking photos and soaking in the ambiance. It was pretty toasty (Locarno is the warmest city in Switzerland, boasting many palm trees and giant southern magnolia trees). It might have been a good plan to bring a bathing suit and cool off in the lake!

I walked to the Funicolare Locarno-Madonna del Sasso, and took it up the mountain (8 CHF round trip). At the top is the Franciscan Santuario della Madonna del Sasso church. It was consecrated in 1487 on the spot where, seven years earlier, the Virgin had appeared to Brother Bartholomeo da Ivrea from the San Francesco monastery in the town. The church is gorgeous with an ornate ceiling & painted floors. The view from the exterior of the church over Lake Maggiore is fantastic. I spent quite a while there, as it also has a courtyard with paintings and the exterior is also lovely.

After leaving the church, I took a cable car from Orselina (where the funicular ended) up to Cardada (1340 meters, about 4350 feet), where there were beautiful views of the lake. It was also much cooler. There is a chairlift from there which goes a further 300 meters up but after I had wandered around Cardada, it was time to get back to Lugano. The hiking around Cadada looked like fun, hopefully I can go back sometime when I don’t have a match the next day. At the top there were an observation promotory, several kids play areas, hiking trails, restaurants and more. There is also an old downtown with castle ruins but I didn’t have time to view it today.

I took the train and bus back to my apartment. Lugano in my opinion is even prettier than Locarno but the church was worth a visit.

Tomorrow I play my second singles not before 6pm (ugh)…no doubles yet.