Italian Lakes & Swiss Mountains: Criss-Crossing the Alps

The lagoon city was founded in northern Italy during the trou­bled times of the decline of the Roman Empire. The remains of the evan­gelist Mark were trans­ferred to Venice in 829. The streams of pilgrims that followed gave the city much added importance. Since then the sacred symbol of the lion has been the city's coat of arms. Vene­tian troops later occu­pied eastern Italy and, in 1204, even Constantinople. At the height of its power Venice ruled the Mediterranean. The demise of the “serrenis­sima repub­blica” began with the fall of Constantinople and the opening of the Western Hemi­sphere by Spain, Portugal and Holland. Venice's polit­ical importance declined after the Congress of Vienna and it was given to Austria. Returned to Italy in 1866, Venice has inspired gener­a­tions of artists, writers and musi­cians. More than a city, it is a symbol of wealth and beauty as well as death and decay.

While its northern tip is part of the Swiss Ticino, it reaches as far south as the Po Valley. The walks above the lake offer views which remind one of the Côte d'Azur near the heart of Europe, with the Alps as a backdrop. There is every­thing here: unspoiled nature, spectac­ular scenery, the best climate in Switz­er­land, major cultural events, beaches, lakeshores, an early spring, a golden autumn, wine and food special­ties, and an infi­nite number of possi­bil­i­ties for excur­sions and every kind of leisure activity, from golf to extreme sports like canyoning.

Zermatt's world-wide renown stems from its proximity to the Matter­horn, the mountain of mountains and most famous landmark in the Alps. Anyone who has ever stood before the mighty peak knows that even the most enthu­siastic descrip­tion will fail to capture its true majesty. The mountain was first scaled by a party of Brits using local guides in 1865. In their rush to beat another party to the top one of the climbers slipped and caused three others to fall to their deaths. The trio are buried in the church­yard next to an English chapel in Zermatt set aside for them and the numerous other Brits who subsequently died attempting to scale the mountain. Climbs to the peak of the Matter­horn are almost a matter of course today. About 3,000 mountai­neers attempt the ascent each year, some­times even leading to overcrowding on the main routes. The Gorner Valley south-east of Zermatt boasts the highest cog railway in Europe. The higher you go the more incred­ible the views of the Matter­horn become.
The town of Zermatt is closed to private vehicles. Visitors must leave their cars at the free car park and take the train to the city.

In a way, Lausanne is even the cradle of tourism. The hotel school is the oldest in the world. A jewel is the early Gothic cathedral Notre-Dame, which is consid­ered the most beau­tiful building from the pre-Swiss Habsburg period.

The town's rise to promi­nence began during the era of Protestant reformer Ulrich Zwingli, who lived in Zurich from 1484 to 1531 and laid the foun­da­tion for the emer­gence of a Puritan-capital­istic culture. Today Zurich is one of the world's richest cities in terms of per capita income and its citi­zens enjoy the best quality of life in the world according to a survey conducted in 2007. Million­aires and billion­aires from around the globe have estab­lished a resi­dence in the city because of Swiss bank privacy laws and the country's low tax rate. Yet Zurich has much more to offer than secret bank accounts and low taxes: an attrac­tive old town with chic cafés and bars, over 40 museums, and the famous Bahnhofss­trasse, one of the most elegant shopping avenues in Europe.

The ancient Swiss town lies at the center of four key Alpine passes: the Gotthard Pass to southern Switz­er­land, the Gösch­en­eralp Pass to north-central Switz­er­land, the stunning Furka Pass to the Rhone Valley in the west, and the Oberalp Pass to the Rhine Valley. Many gorgeous Alpine drives of various length and diffi­culty can be taken from Ander­matt. A rela­tively unchal­lenging yet scenic excur­sion is the three-passes pano­ramic drive around the Rhone Glacier, either in your own car or in one of the canary-yellow Post buses. A truly unfor­gettable expe­r­i­ence is a ride on the Furka Steam Train from Realp to Oberwald.

Balbo), its southern end by gentle hills. The lake's climate is temperate and its flora is char­ac­teris­tically Mediterranean, a combina­tion that has made it famous and its small Riviera-like towns (Malce­sine, Bren­zone, Torri del Benaco, Bardolino, Lazise, Peschiera) highly frequented tourist stops since ancient times. There are several natural parks in the region of Peschiera and Casteln­uovo del Garda that rank among the most famous in Europe. However, this is also a region of fertile country­side with fine wine that once attracted kings, merchants and card­inals. Recre­a­tional activ­i­ties such as sailing, motor boating and water-skiing are offered.