Simona's Corner of Dreams: Ticino

Same procedure as every year – also this year we were off to the Italian part of Switzerland, the Locarno and Ascona area to be precise.

We left in a Tuesday in the afternoon and arrived right on time for dinner in Locarno. We hit a bit of traffic jam, but were lucky with the parking, so we went to our favourite restaurant called Sensi. The waiters know us by now, so it’s always a lot of fun to return. After dinner we drove to our apartment, unpacked, I did my nails and then we went to bed early.

On Wednesday we got up early, because we wanted to take the boat to Luino. The ship left at 10 and we arrived in Luino an hour later. It’s always so beautiful on Lago Maggiore, definitely worth a trip, if you are ever close by. In Luio we went tot he market first, where I found a great bag, of course we also looked at the normal shops and then had a late lunch by the lake. We then took the slow boat back, which allowed us to see more. In Locarno we strolled through the city a bit and then went grocery shopping. The rest of the day was spent at the apartment. We stayed on the balcony, cooked dinner and read a lot.

Thursday started dull and grey. It was not that cold, so we decided to go running. Then we cooked lunch and the weather got a bit better, so it was time to get ready and go shopping in Locarno first and then in Ascona as well. We found some great things and I still can’t believe that I found a Furla bag (I wanted one for so long), it was for sale (50%). In Ascona we spent a lot of time in a shop called Ewa, the owner is dutch and so much fun. The boardwalk in Ascona is beautiful, the perfect place for people watching. They also have colourful animal statues spread around the city, great photo opportunities for sure. Weh ad dinner at Osteria Nostrana right on the boardwalk. In the evening we were able to hear the concert on the Piazza Grande from the balcony.

On Friday we slept in and then weh ad lunch at the gold course. I then spent the afternoon in the „badi“ of Ascona, enjoyed the sunshine and swam in the lake. I also managed to get a funny sunburn on my back. Then I drove back tot he golf course and we had dinner. The rest of the evening was spent at our friends’ apartment in Minusio, with a great view of the lake.

Saturday was similar to Friday, I spent the day at the badi and then we had dinner at the Acona golf club, the food was delicious.

On Sunday we headed tot he Bavona valley, it goes off from the Maggia valley. It was so beautiful. The Bavona river with it’s blue and turquoise water, all the rocks and the little villages, all made out of stone houses. We also saw a very impressive waterfall in Foroglio, it really reminded me of Yosemite National Park. Weh ad lunch right there, I had a yummy polenta with typical meat from the area. We drove back to Ascona and had a little drink by the lake at the Seven lounge. Roger Federer was playing the Wimbledon final, so we ordered pimms and always glanced at the live ticker. Before dinner we headed back to the apartment, freshend up, got changed and then went to our beloved Sensi restaurant. Of course, we still had Federer on in the background, sadly he lost. After dinner, we headed tot he food street oft he Moon and Stars festival and then into the little alley, where we listened to the concert for a while, until it started raining.

Monday started bad weather wise, so we drove to Como, only to find out that most shops are closed in the morning and only open at around 3 pm. We enjoyed an Italian cappucciono and then checked some shops, luckily, some opened earlier, so we spend some time in those, before having a great lunch at Gesumin, one of my fave restaurants in this city. We then drove out oft he city, to a grocery store, there are certain thngs I always like getting in Italian, so I did. We drove back early, because in the evening it was time for our Moon and Stars concert. We took the funicular down to Locarno and went tot he entrace. We always reserve in a restaurant on the Piazza Grande and enjoy the concert from there. We were a bit late, so we called the restaurant to let them know. Anyway, one oft he waitresses almost gave our table away, we just arrived in time. Aloe Blacc szarted playing first, which was great, he played some cover songs, some of his new ones and also the ones everybody knows, he really has a great voice and interacted well with the audience. Then came Christina Aguilera, she started late, but put on a fab show. She played all her famous songs and talked tot he audience as well, but not as much. The thing that annoyed me most, was her gettiong changed every two or three songs. In total she was wearing nine outfis within 1 ½ hours. That might be fine in an arena show, but not for a festival like that. I still really enjoyed it though and fell into bed happily.