A seasonal guide to Switzerland’s best-kept culinary secret

Set on the sunlit northern shores of island-speckled Lake Maggiore, Ascona-Locarno brings a touch of the Med to the mountains: palm trees, cafe-rimmed piazzas, botanical gardens and gelato all set to hazy views of the not-so-distant Alps. The food is just as fabulous as you might expect, ranging from alpine cheeses to Merlot wines, rich braised meats to earthy risottos and panettones that taste of Christmas. Seasonal cuisine is your fast track to Ascona-Locarno’s soul — here's how to make the most of the region's larder all year round.

Forage for wild plants

Best for: spring
Ascona-Locarno's parks and gardens erupt into glorious, colourful bloom in spring. Better still, the fresh-scented forests — set in peaceful valleys set back from the lake — offer the opportunity to forage for edible wild herbs, flowers and plants. Wild garlic, nettles, dandelions, linden tree leaves and sweet violet can be gathered to pep up salads, soups and cakes. You can go it alone or join one of the foraging courses and tastings led by Milo Bissegger, who knows these woods, meadows and mountains like the back of his hand. His foraging walks are about more than what you pick — they offer a mindful moment in nature, plus access to corners of the region few get to see. 

Also try: Milo’s aunt, Meret, is equally passionate about foraging and slow food. Join one of her foraging walks before whipping up what you’ve found into delicious dishes on a cookery course.

Dig into Ticinese specialities on a grotto terrace

Best for: summer
After a day spent hiking in river-woven valleys, boating across Lake Maggiore or pedalling through beech and chestnut woods, it’s hard to resist the vine-swaddled terrace of a grotto. Grotti were originally caves for storing food in cool conditions before evolving into rustic taverns that provide a backstage pass to Ticino’s rural heart. Pull up a chair at a stone table for a refreshing bianchino (a glass of white Merlot) and feast of regional produce. Menus swing with the seasons, but you can expect to see the likes of cicitt — long, thin goat sausages, roasted over an open fire — brasato (beef braised in red wine) with polenta, and porcini risotto, as well as sharing platters of local cheeses and cured meats. For dessert, try torta di pane, bread pudding cake laced with spices and candied fruit. You’re bound to find your own grotto, but favourites include Grottino Ticinese in Losone, near Ascona, and Grotto Cà Rossa in the Vallemaggia.

Also try: Mother Nature certainly worked her magic in the Vallemaggia, north of Locarno. This lovely valley seduces with a glass-clear river for wild swimming, 3,000m (9,840ft) peaks and time-lost granite valleys. It’s best explored by hiking a stretch of the 124-mile Via Alta (though this is an avanced route, so novice Alpinists beware).

Experience the wine harvest at Cantina Carrara

Best for: autumn

Pinned to a vine-ribbed hillside, with dreamy views out across the lake and forested mountains, Cantina Carrara — an agriturismo close to Lake Maggiore — extends a heartfelt family welcome. During the autumn harvest, gold and red-rust vines make a painterly scene, while the fruity scent of freshly picked grapes scents the air. Join vintner Graziano Carrara for a tour of his historic granite cellar and a tasting of the wines he produces from vines that thrive in the local microclimate, including red and white Merlots and sparkling wines made using the Champagne method. Spend a night in the vineyard’s rustic holiday apartment before assembling a picnic and striking out on the six-mile Percorso Vitae, a circular walking route that winds through vineyards and woods.

Also try: Edging north, Val Verzasca is a ravishing, river-cleaved valley. Its forested heights are sprinkled with pretty granite villages — including Switzerland’s second smallest, Corippo, home to just nine people.

Embrace Christmas traditions on Lake Maggiore

Best for: winter

There’s no place like Lake Maggiore in winter, where you can go from snow-cloaked slopes to piazza-side aperitivos in minutes. Start things on a high by taking the cable car up 1,671m (4,582ft) to Cardada Cimetta for snowshoeing, sledding and winter hiking. The summit boasts gasp-eliciting views reaching all the way from the lake to Switzerland’s highest peak, the 4,634m (15,203ft) Dufourspitze. Back at ground level, winters are sunny and mild, meaning you can grab an al fresco coffee before hitting beautifully lit Christmas markets along the lakeshore. The highlight is Winterland on Locarno’s Piazza Grande, with its food stalls, ice rink, double-decker carousel and striking star illuminations. Nativity scenes are brought vividly to life in historic villages like Vira Gambarogno. And for the perfect take-home gift, stop by Pasticceria Dolce Monaco, whose butter-rich, raisin-speckled panettone is among the best.

Also try: Warm winters bring a burst of hot-pink colour in the form of flowering camellias. See them at Parco delle Camelie — home to 1,100 varieties of the flower, showcased each March during the Camelie Locarno exhibition.

(Surprised by Ascona-Locarno? Discover more of Switzerland here.)