1936 On the Continent

villages are all white with a few houses built of coloured stones, and among every cluster of dwellings we see the campanile or bell-tower of the churches.
    The train proceeds along the lovely Val Levantina. Waterfalls plunge downwards rapidly into the river Ticino, which has given the canton its name. Many pleasant days can be spent in this valley; the thing that will strike the stranger as odd is that he will only see women working in the fields, as the men of this district are practically all employed in the hotel industry, which occupiesthem away from their homes all the year round except in the winter season. There are no fields in the English sense of the word, but cultivation is carried out on small banked-up plots of earth as the ground itself is too sloping for sufficient depth of earth to be maintained on it.
    Heavy loads are carried by the women in the Gerla, a deep conical basket; this is fastened on to their backs with straps, and it has a very large capacity. Piora, Ambri-Piotta and Rodi Fiesso in the upper part of the valley offer good facilities for ski-ing and skating for those who require a quiet time, and it is always possible to vary a holiday in these villages by taking a trip down to Bellinzona or even the lakes.
Bellinzona
    Another station in the Val Levantina is Giornico, and it was here that in 1478 600 Swiss led by Frischhans Theilig donned their skates and defeated 15,000 Milanese. As a result of this overwhelming victory the Duchy of Milan ceded for ever to Uri the Val Levantina and the Val Brugiasco, provided that a wax taper weighing 3 lb. was given to the cathedral of Milan each year. The country people speak Italian, and many of their customs date back to the time when the canton was actually part of Italy, but their allegiance is all to the Confederation, and they are as good Swiss as their brethren beyond the Alps.
    At Biasca the Val Melsolcina joins the main valley and is very similar in scenery to those at Mesocco. There is a very fine ruined castle perched on a crag, and this makes a most imposing picture. Below Biasca the valley widens and at last we come to Bellinzona, the capital of the canton. The town is built round three small hills, each of which is crowned by the ruins of a medieval castle; in these used to live the Governors of Uri, Schwyz and Unterwalden, who used to rule the district.
    The upper portions of the Lombard Lakes Maggiore and Lugano—although usually called the Italian lakes—lie in Swiss territory and were ceded to Switzerland in 1512 by the Duke of Milan, together with Valle Maggia and Mendrisio, and the whole of this territory was ruled by the Cantonal Governors. The character of Bellinzona is purely Italian. Here will be found old houses withshady arcades and balconies. Everywhere the slender campanili of the churches soar into the sky offering a marvellous contrast between its deep blue and their dazzling whiteness; fascinating old palaces can be found and many a dim alley entices the wanderer away from the main roads.
    Throughout the Canton Ticino will be found typical Italian houses with arched porticoes and roofed balconies in which refuge can be taken from the mid-day heat; many are built round courtyards, and it is not an unusual sight to see cobs of corn strung along the arches, as these are taken to show the prosperity of the family. This, too, is the country in which grape is cultivated everywhere, and a great deal of the labours of the country people is concerned with vine culture.
Lugano
    From Bellinzona we will go first of all to Lugano, the situation of which may be compared with Naples, lying as it does in the curve of a bay on a lake, the blue waters of which would challenge comparison anywhere. White hotels stand along the lake side and at one end of the bay rises the symmetrical dome of Monte San Salvatore, whilst at the other is the pyramid of Monte Brè. Both these mountains can be ascended by funicular railway and offer fine views.
    In Lugano violets and primroses will be found in bloom in January, and later in the year such flowers as the camellia, mimosa, and oleander bloom profusely, whilst the orange blossom fills the air with its indescribable fragrance. The older part of Lugano is very interesting and here will be found many arcaded streets in which the traders set out their wares. Market day is every Tuesday, when the peasants come to town wearing their native costume and display their colourful goods on benches in the Piazza