3 Best Sights in Ticino, Switzerland

Breathtaking Alpine scenery and subtropical colors are wed in Brissago, yet another flowery lakefront resort at the lowest elevation in Switzerland. It's an easy excursion by car or bus from Ascona. The main attraction, the federally protected Brissago Islands, are set like jewels in the lake. Their botanical gardens teem with more than a thousand species of subtropical plants, identified by plaques in Italian, German, and French. An English guide to the plants is for sale for CHF8 at the gate. Have lunch or drinks at the restaurant in a beautifully restored 1929 villa. Boats bound for the islands depart regularly from Ascona and Locarno (CHF20 and CHF34 respectively, round-trip including entrance fee). You must leave with the last boat back to the mainland—usually around 6 pm—so check the schedule carefully when planning your excursion.

A remarkable garden, the Parco Scherrer was created over a period of decades by the Swiss business executive Arthur Scherrer (1881–1956). This folly rising from the lakeside brings together architectural samples from around the world—including an Egyptian sun temple, a Siamese teahouse, and an Indian palace—within the setting of a carefully landscaped garden.

This lakefront sculpture garden frames a dozen modern works with palms, camellias, oleanders, and magnolias. At the far west end there's a public swimming area.