Posted Mon Oct 27 18:05:00 UTC 2008

The atmosphere in Locarno is one of Old World Europe mingled with contemporary sophistication and modern amenities. The city possesses fascinating sights and sounds along every cobblestone path and around every corner. From people watching at a café in the Piazza Grande to strolling among the centuries-old patrician houses of Old Town, time spent in Locarno is time well-spent indeed. The city offers many must-see historical sites, such as the Santuario della Madonna del Sasso—a beautifully decorated 15th century pilgrimage sanctuary that was inspired by Franciscan monk Bartolomeo d’Ivrea’s vision of the Virgin Mary. Another important site is the Castello Visconteo, originally built in the 12th century and taken by the powerful Visconti family in 1342. Castello Visconteo now houses Locarno’s Museo Archeologico. Among these time-worn features, Locarno also beholds more contemporary attractions, such as the modernist and Dadaist collections in the Casa Rusca Gallery or the Astrovio Locarno—an impressive 1:1,000,000,000 scale model of the Solar System, stretching 6 km from the Sun at Via Gioacchino Respini to Pluto in the village of Tegna.