Ascona. Even the name conjures up images of exotic far flung places, places where you can sit back, relax and enjoy yourself. Places where flowers bloom, where the temperature is mild, and where the people are friendly, and the culture is full and rich. If this is what you think about when you hear about Ascona, you are not far wrong in your guess. Although Ascona is found within the borders of Switzerland, the town is the lowest point above sea-level within the entire country. It hugs the shores of Lake Maggiore, the longest of the Italian Lakes.If you are wondering how Lake Maggiore could be part of the Swiss landscape, trouble yourself no further; this lake extends approximately thirteen kilometers into the borders of Switzerland, around which the town of Ascona lies. This accounts for the almost year round Mediterranean climate of Ascona, which in turn contributes to the beautiful gardens and exotic flora found in the area.
However, it is not only for its Mediterranean climate and scenic beauty that Ascona is famous. In the beginnings of the 20th century, an extraordinary event took place when artists of all types came together to settle on the Monte Verit , just above the village of Asona.
These artists then proceeded to expound the benefits of returning to nature. Naturally this idea took hold in the thoughts and minds of others and the colony above Monte Verit became one that held not only artists, but also philosophers, writers, revolutionaries, anarchists, poets, dancers and most of all, dreamers. Indeed some well recognized persons have stayed there, such as the writer Hermann Hesse, psychoanalyst Karl Jung, Marianne von Werefkin the artist, dancer Mary Wigman and expressionist playwright Ernst Toller to name but a few.
