This summer our family discovered a fantastic new destination in Switzerland -- Ticino, the only Swiss region located south of the Alps that has Italian as its official language. We were heading off for the Locarno (Latin for lion's flesh) Film Festival for the first time and decided to come early to explore the "sexy Italian style Switzerland." First of all, flying Swiss Air was fantastic. The planes and seats in business class were the most comfortable of all the flights we have taken over to Europe. The service and food was great. If you have to fly for business or pleasure to an European destination from the States, try Air Swiss. You will arrive fresh and fed with your luggage intact and on time. In fact, getting around to the different terminals on the shuttle train in Zurich puts you in the vacation mood by the sound they use to let you know they are coming to a stop. "Moooo" with a real cow sound makes everyone burst into laughter. Now that's not a bad way to start a vacation after 11 hours of flying time.
As we were settling in for our flight back to Los Angeles, a man in his 30's was walking back to economy class and just when he walked by my son and I he said, " this is ridiculous, I am way too good looking to be flying economy." The other passengers on the other side of the aisle looked at each other in bewilderment -- this was not Brad Pitt, and even if it were, the real Brad Pitt would have never thought or said that. We all compared notes -- did he really just say that? Was he kidding? No, by the look on his face, and his sheer disgust at his predicament of being so good looking in his own mind and not being bumped up was so good we all decided it had to become a scene in a movie. Having flown a lot of economy miles with my son and always teaching him to be grateful for any trip that you are able to go on, his 13-year-old face watching this guy flip out was a priceless moment.
Daniel Craig and Olivia Wilde had just been at the 64th Locarno Film Festival in the Piazza Grande, and Gerard Depardieu of the weak bladder was just leaving the festival to get his own worldwide news of the prostrate kind. Eight thousand people outside watching movies at night is quite moving. It is the most beautiful and emotional film festival of its kind. Unforgettable. "Cinema Paradiso" come to life. We had never heard of it before. Cannes, glamour. Venice, beautiful. All great. But Locarno turned out to be the most unforgettable experience that stays with one's soul.
Hands down, the area is one the most beautiful in the world. The untamed Alpine valleys, the lakes, the history, culture, food, and Italian language blend with those of the nearby Italian border regions so it offers both Mediterranean charm and lifestyle and Swiss quality. Cute, young, fun young people, filled with boat life and nature made being outside mandatory. Grotto restaurants that were only open for the season run by families in the Alps reachable only by boats were so different and delicious that we are still dreaming of the salads and grilled fresh fish. Grottos are Ticino's typical taverns that give the Mediterranean experience with a view. The ride back by ferry boat to our hotel Villa Castagnala in Lugano with the full moon hanging over the rich green hills on the silver lake dancing to music is one of the most spectacular images that our family and friends with ages from 8 years old to 13 years old (and I won't be telling you our combined adult ages). We were just enchanted. No video games, no cell phones, just nature and beauty.
Unesco World Heritage Castles Castello Montebello, these castles made the kids stop and contemplate history in person. NO video games. They didn't stop for one second -- they wanted to be on the lake or exploring drawbridges and moats.
For the shoppers, Fox Town outlet mall is the largest discount shopping mall in Europe. New collections are 30-70 percent off. New. YSL, Dolce and Gabbana, Armani, La perla, Nike, Valentino, Diesel, and it's all the new stuff. My girlfriend who came to visit from France and is a style maven said it was the best prices she had ever seen because it was all what is just going on the floor here in the States. And she had just seen it full priced in Monaco and Milan. We found out that people fly and drive in all around Europe to just shop there.
Locarno and Lugano are just two of the great cities to visit in this spectacular Ticino region. It's the warmth of the people, their true dolce vita lifestyle and their sheer willingness to make every effort to make your visit spectacular will keep you thinking about Ticino. In 2004 an Italian historian Marino Vigano said that its possible that Leonardo da Vinci designed the Locarno castle.
After visiting the area, I can see why da Vinci would have wanted to leave something of beauty to add to the perfection of the landscape and the people.