An oasis of peace

Orselina, clinging to the slopes of Cardada, overlooks Locarno and could be a quarter of the city, so much so that urbanisation makes no distinction between the plain and the hillside. Orselina is a village that shines in the wonderful basin of the Locarno gulf, surrounded by the royal crown of mountains, under which the Piano del Ticino, the magnificent delta of the Maggia and the lake stretch out.

The landscape, softening and following the sinuosities of the Verbano, then enters the Po Valley. Through this ideal lake corridor the Mediterranean climate reaches us, giving life to a very rich vegetation. From this privileged balcony we can enjoy an incomparable spectacle at any time.

The Municipality of Orselina offers visitors one of the most important and suggestive architectural works of the canton of Ticino: the Sanctuary of the Madonna del Sasso. The Baroque architectural complex, completed in the 17th century, stands on a spur of rock and includes the convent, the church of the Annunciation, the churchyard and the church of Santa Maria Assunta, known as Madonna del Sasso.

The municipality of Orselina originally relied on a great rural tradition for its sustenance, thanks to its woodland resources, the cultivation of vineyards and grazing for cattle breeding. After the opening of the Saint Gotthard railway tunnel in 1882 and the consequent development of the tourist industry, the commune of Orselina began to equip itself with structures capable of welcoming foreigners. The tourism industry thus joined the already existing rural one, and underwent a further development in 1906 with the construction of the Locarno-Madonna del Sasso funicular.