Italian palm trees and marinas set along the mountain ranges that Switzerland is so famed for: Ascona is an unexpected outcrop of the Mediterranean emerging from the slopes of Mount Verita. In fact, deep within these slopes one can find a museum tracing the lives of a small colony that had settled in the mountain beyond the borders of Ascona in a bid to live off the grid. For those searching for an adventure of the beaten path, you might just have stumbled upon a gem.

Breaking past the gabled roofs of the boutique establishments that have taken over Borgo stands the staggering bell tower of a 16th Century basilica. Towards the outskirts, one finds tantalizingly sweet wines dug out from the deepest cellars. Ambrosia on earth, you can sip on these rare concoctions beneath the shade of trellises covered in thick, blooming vines in the grottos of the town. On the opposite side of town stretches Lake Maggiore with clear blue waters so vast that one might mistake them for an ocean at Ascona’s feet. From Ascona, one can board a skipper to skim over the still waters on an island hopping expedition that will bring you to the small but bejeweled outcrops of land which make up the Borromean Islands. Sundown by the promenade of Ascona is an indescribable beauty, a gathering of clouds tinted in the shade of mother of pearl as the rest of the sky lights up in a riot of pastel pinks and purple. Each day in Ascona is just another masterpiece waiting to be uncovered.