gabriele

Lugano is lovely. Busy, but the setting is beautiful. We were excited to visit Bellinzona our last day after reading about it and seeing photos. It was fine, but not something I would go out of my way for. I was not inspired to go into any of the castles, and I am a castle freak (could spend weeks at a time in the Loire castle hopping). It was nice to have a change after a week on the lakes, although we thoroughly enjoyed exploring the area by ferry and car. We cut short our planned day in Bellinzona, went back to the small town where we were staying, and went for a walk through the countryside, along the way going through small hamlets that were quite a way off the beaten path. We agreed that was the best part of the day. I remember thinking that if I ever returned to the area, would stay in Ascona, a charming small town. I would not necessarily count on early September being low season. My choice would be to make reservations that can be canceled if you change your mind, having spent many previous vacation hours looking for lodging not booked in advance.