Our three day train trip during our Swiss visit in December covered the Alps, the hills of Appenzell, and fortunately the Swiss Italian border town of Ascona. My dear friend Stef guaranteed warm weather and plentiful sunshine. My husband Chris liked the idea of defrosting apres Xmas markets in Zurich, seeing beautiful Lake Maggiore, and dining on Italian food while still within the borders of Switzerland. Our two and one half hour train ride provided us with the gorgeous views we had grown accustomed to. We took a bus with the locals to the city center. We arrived to a charming historic town, meandering cobble stone streets, and then the lakefront promenade filled with bustling outdoor cafes and shops. We were greeted with buon giorno as we walked along the scenic shores of Lake Maggiore. We picked a a local trattoria to sip an Aperol spritz in the afternoon sunshine. A leisurely lunch followed as we were amazed we were still within the borders of what seemed like an Italian dream “Swiss style “. Switzerland certainly has so many terrains and climates all within an enjoyable yet easy train ride.
Magical Tastes of Travel 