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On the big island (Isola Grande or St. Pancrazio), which was opened to the public in 1950, mostly subtropical plants with origins from the northern and southern hemisphere are grown.
In 1885 the baroness Antoinette Saint Leger transformed the islands into a residence where painters, sculptors, musicians and writers could meet. The big island became an exotic garden. In 1927 the new owner, the businessman Max Emden from Hamburg, had the actual palazzo, the dock and Roman bath built and increased the cultivation of exotic plants.
The botanic park offers impressions of exotic subtropical countries. Azaleas, rhododendrons, Japanese palm trees, numerous camellias, Japanese banana, bamboo, the Ginkgo transport the visitor to the Far East. The group of South African plants surprises with. The Central America zone offers a completely different scenario with large-flowered magnolia, agaves, cypress (present from the 30s with the typical roots sticking out from the water), yucca, California poppies, sage from New Zealand transport the visitor to other continents.
Sage, rosemary, cork, palm of the Canaries, represent the Mediterranean countryside.
The Brissago Islands are part of the Gardens of Switzerland network, which brings together the most beautiful gardens of Switzerland.
Are you dreaming of exploring an Island? Go on a treasure hunt following the trails of the pirates to mysterious places with unusual plants on the Islands of Brissago.
Ask for the map at the entrance and follow the clues. Set off on an adventure!
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Organizzazione turistica Lago Maggiore e Valli
6614 Brissago
0848 091 091
info@ascona-locarno.com
www.ascona-locarno.com
Closed during the winter: the park is open from 1st of April to 8th of November.
Sit back and relax as you discover a region packed with surprises on this slow journey. A 52-km route spanning 2 countries, 83 bridges and 31 galleries in just under two hours. Climbing aboard our trains means enjoying a unique experience, coming into contact with a diverse landscape that features a succession of deep gorges, wild mountains, rivers and waterfalls.
Locarno Film Festival is the most significant cinematographic event in Switzerland and among the most important in Europe. Numerous are the movies presented in four different sections: Concorso internazionale, Concorso Cineasti del presente and the sections Pardi di domani (national and international).
Idyllically nestled in an imposing mountainscape, the Valle Verzasca (Verzasca valley) is ideal for hiking, mountain biking and relaxing in nature. Forming the heart of the valley is the emerald-green Verzasca river with its polished gorges and deep pools made for summer bathing. Not for nothing are some of the bathing places here called the “Maldives of Switzerland”.