1936 On the Continent

del Independencia. The market closes at noon, after which the women hawk their goods from house to house. The chief products of the Tessin are pottery, woven materials and woodwork, which reach a high and artistic level. On the hill stands the cathedral of San Lorenzo, whilst in the town itself is the church of Santa Maria degli Angioli, in which there is a very fine fresco ofthe Crucifixion by Luini. The visitor need not stay in Lugano itself but can select an hotel in the suburbs, the most beautiful of which are Castagnola and Paradiso.
    From Lugano many excursions may be made by lake steamer, and here again the season ticket facilities on the steamers and mountain railways offered by the Swiss Hotel Plan make a thorough exploration of the district possible, as otherwise fares would absorb a very considerable amount of money. There are many fascinating walks, notably to Gandria, a quaint village on the lake side; it is built on the side of a very steep hill so that the houses appear to be perpendicularly over each other. Most of the streets in Gandria are steps hewn out of the rock! Facing Lugano on the other side of the lake is Monte Generoso, the last high peak of the alpine range. A fine rack railway takes us to the summit, where there are several large hotels which are patronised mainly by the big industrialists of Upper Italy. The view is a magnificent one. To the south lies the Plain of Lombardy, and on a clear day the spires of the Milan Cathedral may be seen. At the base is Lake Lugano, whilst Maggiore and Como lie on either side. To the north lies the central chain of the Alps, with the Monte Rosa and Mont Blanc prominent in the west, stretching across the panorama to the mountains of the Grisons, and their eternal snows make a piquant contrast to the semi-tropical vegetation of the lake valleys.
Locarno
    Another excursion is by tram to Cadro-Dino, whence Lugano can be seen nestling on the borders of the lake; from Dino the tram continues to Tesserete, from which many pleasant walks can be taken. One leads by a small mountain path to an old Capucine monastery in the heart of the wood, the monks of which brew a special liqueur from cocoa beans which is called ratafia; if you are lucky the monks will give you a drink of this ambrosial liquid whilst you are resting. There are restaurants all along the lake in which musicians play Swiss music. At the end of September the vintage festival is held in Lugano and the streets are then most picturesque, as kiosks are erected everywhere in which enormous quantities of grapes are for sale; there is singing and dancing in the streets,and at night there are festival plays for which singers from Milan are engaged.
    From Lugano we return to Bellinzona and then proceed to Locarno on the shore of the upper part of Lago Maggiore. Locarno is more sheltered from the winds than Lugano, and palms, cork trees and eucalypti are to be seen everywhere; the gardens of the town are a veritable mass of sweet-smelling, luxurious blooms. Everywhere around Locarno lie hills that ascend to the mountains, and the trees change from olives and figs to fir and pine, which in their turn disappear as the glaciers are reached. This will give some idea of the variety of scenery and temperature to be found in the neighbourhood of Locarno. The town, of course, has become famous because it is there that the Security Pact Conference was held and a treaty signed which so recently has been occupying all our thoughts. The old and new intermingle, and it will be found altogether delightful.
Nature Cure Settlement
    There is a fine bathing lido bordered by fields and woods, as is the Lido Agnuzzo, the bathing beach at Ascona, a nearby village. The favourite excursion is to the old monastery of the Madonna del Sasso, which is perched on a cliff high above the town. There is much of interest here, but for a closer description I would refer the reader to a book on Locarno by Mr. T. E. Jessop, which can be obtained from most of the tourist offices in Locarno.
    In this book will be found much valuable information about Locarno and the surrounding valleys. At Ascona there is a delightful nine-hole golf course, and many may prefer this village to Locarno itself. Another delightful excursion is to Ponte Brolla at the mouth of the Valle Maggia. A bridge spans the deep gorge down which the river Maggia tears in a white rage. Here there is a restaurant where the local inhabitants may be observed playing Bocce, a form