Alfa Romeo Swiss Grand Tour: Traditional Ticino, from Bellinzona to Lake Maggiore

Medieval architecture and Baroque frescoes, castles and churches. And a bouquet of international festivals blending art and creativity, set against the romantic and sophisticated lake backdrop

Words Alessandro Giudice

Photography Alessandro Barteletti

Video Andrea Ruggeri

Swiss Grand Tour is a project to discover itineraries driving classic Alfa Romeo cars, in partnership with Astara, the distributor and importer of the Brand in Switzerland.

Canton	Ticino
Route	from Bellinzona to Ascona and back
Distance	80 km
Travel time	2h
Driving pleasure	3/5
Panorama	4/5

With its distinctive personality, so different and yet complementary to those of the other large towns in the canton, Lugano is a cosmopolitan crossroads of international business. Set against the sparkling background of the lake of the same name, Bellinzona is peaceful and reserved, nestling in the green hills. The capital of Ticino is defined by its splendid architectural features: three spectacular castles and medieval walls that make it a UNESCO World Heritage Site since 2000, as well as the characteristic network of narrow pedestrian streets leading to small and large squares.

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(Map by Sansai Zappini)

Also for these reasons, we chose Bellinzona as the starting point for an itinerary through some of the most interesting areas of Canton Ticino, as far as the northern banks of Lake Maggiore, which Switzerland shares with Italy. Accompanying us, two cars representing Alfa Romeo’s past and future: a 1957 Giulia Spider Veloce and a modern Junior in the Special Sport Tech version, progenitor of the Biscione’s electric generation.

Driving the splendid convertible is its proud owner Edwin Navez, manager and businessman, who went as far as Mexico City to buy his Giulia: “I was looking for one of the last spiders made, and I’ve always had a soft spot for the combination of anthracite grey/red bodywork and interiors. As soon as I saw that it had these features, I couldn't let it go." Edwin comes in the Giulia to meet us in Bellinzona on a tepid, early spring day, confirming the extraordinarily mild climate in this part of Switzerland, where the thermometer rarely falls below zero even during the winter.

Due to traffic limitations, it is best to drive round the outer ring of the town, leaving the more characteristic parts of the centre for a pleasurable stroll. For practical reasons, the first stop up a hill passing near the hospital, is at the smallest of the three castles, Sasso Corbaro, at an altitude of 600 metres a.s.l., once used as a prison. Driving down a few bends towards the town, Montebello castle stands on the peak of the hill of the same name, protected by its two drawbridges and castellated walls. From its strategic and panoramic position, it dominates not only the town but also the River Ticino valley to the north-west of Bellinzona. Close to the centre on a rocky ridge, Castelgrande is a fine example of the fortifications that controlled the mountain passes towards Northern Europe, the Nufenen, St. Gotthard and San Bernardino. This control was also assured by the walls, an impressive 800-metre-long bastion connecting the western side of the castle to the gates where the goods passing through were taxed.

Returning to the town centre, a stroll towards Piazza Collegiata takes you down Viale Stazione, Bellinzona’s busiest and most famous road, from where you can admire the church and the attractive buildings. From here we continue to the nearby Piazza Noceto and Palazzo Civico, and, passing by the obelisk in Piazza Indipendenza and Via Dogana, we reach Piazza del Governo. Leaving the centre, towards the cemetery, you can admire Santa Maria delle Grazie, a fifteenth century church adorned with colourful frescoes, the most important of which is a “Crucifixion” by an unknown artist and others partly attributed to the schools of Jacques Courtois and Ferrari. From here, we head out along Via Cantonale towards Giubiasco, not a particularly interesting main road but perfect for reaching the tip of Lake Maggiore in Minusio and, from there, on to Locarno.

Not only an attractive holiday spot, Locarno also offers an interesting range of cultural events and recreational activities. One of these is the renowned International Film Festival, calling directors and actors from all over the world to one of Switzerland's most important happenings. In July, the festival is preceded by Moon&Stars, a series of musical events with concerts by some of the most famous musicians on the international scene today. These two events are both hosted in the same place in the town, the renaissance-style Piazza Grande, Locarno's beating heart surrounded by buildings and arcades with a selection of bars, restaurants and shops with alleys leading through the historical centre, to Visconti Castle and other sites. In addition, the Camellia Park is home to the exhibition that brings fragrances and colours to the lake with its magnificent flowers in the spring.

Just a few miles separate Locarno from Ascona, which is “the place to be”, according to Edwin Navez. A small yet picturesque town with a lakeside promenade edged with lush plants and pastel-coloured houses, with its mild climate Ascona is a refined, highbrow tourist destination, as well as the home to one of Europe’s major jazz festivals, held between June and July of each year. To reach our next destination, we return to Locarno and from there climb up Via ai Monti to the peak of the Sanctuary of the Madonna del Sasso, a famous religious complex renowned for its visiting pilgrims. Parking here, it takes just a few minutes to walk down to the monastery and the sanctuary which, built on a rocky outcrop, offer a breath-taking view of the lake, before visiting the Baroque church with its frescoes and wood and terracotta statues.

Returning towards Bellinzona, at Gordola we take a left turn towards Lavertezzo. Climbing a few miles, we reach the Contra dam, built in 1960 to close the river Verzasca, which gives its name to the valley. An interesting fact: the dam starred in one of the first scenes of the 1995 007 film “Golden Eye”.

The road running along the artificial Vogorno lake is pure driving pleasure, with a succession of fast stretches and tunnels. This is more than enough reason to take a diversion off the main route, also considering the nature and architecture to be admired in Lavertezzo, with its famous two-arched Medieval Roman bridge crossing the river Verzasca, where its waters are an extraordinary shade of emerald. Returning to Gordola, the road to Bellinzona crosses the vineyards where excellent Terre di Gudo wines are made in this municipality which was annexed to the town in 2017. A perfect opportunity for a “wine cellar fuel stop”, for once without having to choose between thermal and electric fuel.

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THE COLLECTOR: Edwin Navez

The "Giulia Spider 1600 Veloce"

The Giulia Spider has always been the car of my dreams: it has all the charm of a convertible Alfa Romeo but with spectacular engine performance. The one I bought fits that dream perfectly. A Giulia, so the second series after the Giulietta; in the Veloce version, with a 113 HP engine, disc brakes on the front wheels, anthracite grey bodywork and red seats. I had been looking for one all over the place, then I found one at a dealer in New York. When I got in touch to make an appointment, he told me that the car was actually in Mexico City. Thinking that it really didn't make much difference between that and the States, I set off for Mexico. The car was perfect, it had already been registered as a historical car in Mexico (and I left the “veiculo historico” sticker on the right-hand deflector) and had it shipped to Europe in a container. 

The Modern Alfas

What I like about modern Alfa Romeos is their character, which expresses a clean line, a chassis that lives up to the expectations of any Alfa fan and excellent engines, especially the Quadrifoglio versions. Moving into the electric world seems to me to be more to meet regulatory needs than the wish of Alfa Romeo. I have been driving electric cars for years, with great pleasure, and I hope that, no longer driven by combustion engines, the new Alfas can maintain the style and performance that created the Biscione legend.