# Things to Do in Locarno, Switzerland: Walking Guide **Things to do in Locarno: historic sights and art in Ticino** The best things to do in Locarno include exploring its old town, visiting Castello Visconteo and its museums, and discovering churches and historic buildings in the center. Locarno is the capital of the Locarno District in Ticino, with a setting that brings together the northern part of Lake Maggiore, lakeside landscapes and several valleys. Neywo offers a free audio guide for Locarno with 20 narrated places, available in 11 languages. ## What to see in Locarno Locarno’s historic center is the ideal place to discover the city’s cultural heritage on foot. The following sights bring together medieval history, Renaissance and Baroque architecture, religious buildings and modern art. ### Santa Maria in Selva On Via Vallemaggia, Santa Maria in Selva is also known as the Church of Our Lady of Mercy. It was consecrated on February 24, 1424, in a ceremony carried out by Fra Bartolomeo da Cremona. The church therefore offers a glimpse into Locarno’s fifteenth-century religious history. ### Casa Rusca The Pinacoteca comunale Casa Rusca occupies an elegant eighteenth-century palace and hosts changing exhibitions. The municipal art museum has presented temporary exhibitions since 1987 and is recognized as a cultural property of regional importance. Casa Rusca formerly displayed Locarno’s municipal art collection, but since 2019 that collection has been housed at Casorella. The building’s changing exhibitions give the museum a different artistic focus over time. ### San Francesco Church and former Abbey The Church of Saint Francis of Assisi, or San Francesco Church, stands attached to an ancient convent. The church and the former religious complex form an important part of Locarno’s historic center. ### Castello Visconteo Castello Visconteo is one of Locarno’s defining landmarks. Built in 1341 after the Visconti family conquered Locarno, the castle stands on rocky ground at the western edge of the old town, at an elevation of about 205 metres. When the Visconti family left the area around Lake Maggiore in 1513, the castle became a garrison for local troops. It later passed to the municipality and was converted into a museum. Its architecture also has a possible connection with Leonardo da Vinci: in 2004, the Italian historian Marino Viganò suggested that Leonardo designed part of the castle, and after seven years of study the Rivellino was recognized as a project by Leonardo. Inside, the Museo civico archeologico brings together a local history museum and an archaeological collection. Both the collection and Castello Visconteo are protected as cultural property of national importance in Switzerland. ### Casorella Casorella is a Renaissance building and a cultural heritage property of national significance. Since 2019, its museum has housed Locarno’s municipal art collection, formerly displayed at Casa Rusca. The building provides a historic setting for the collection, connecting Locarno’s artistic heritage with one of its most significant Renaissance properties. ### Santa Maria Assunta Church and the House of the Canonici Santa Maria Assunta is also called Chiesa Nuova, or the New Church of Locarno. Consecrated in 1636, it is a Baroque church that stands beside the House of the Canonici. The church’s interior contains one of the most important Baroque stucco decorations in the canton of Ticino. Together, the church and the neighboring house form a protected cultural landmark in the old town. ### Negromante House Negromante House is an old palace in Locarno’s historic center. Its presence adds to the collection of historic buildings encountered while walking through the city’s streets. ### Morettini Palace Morettini Palace stands on Cappuccini Street and now houses the Cantonal Library. The building combines the character of a historic palace with the quiet function of a place devoted to books and learning. ### Convento di Santa Caterina On Via delle Monache, the Convento di Santa Caterina includes the Church of Santa Caterina d’Alessandria. The church and convent form a religious complex whose present Baroque building replaced an earlier medieval structure. ### Ghisla Art Collection The Ghisla Art Collection, also known as the Fondazione Ghisla Art Collection Locarno, is a foundation and museum dedicated to modern and contemporary art. It provides a contrast with Locarno’s medieval, Renaissance and Baroque sights. ### Churches around Locarno Locarno’s religious heritage extends beyond the old town. In Solduno, a neighborhood of Locarno, the Chiesa di San Giovanni Battista is one of the area’s distinctive places of worship. The Chiesa della Sacra Famiglia, or Church of the Holy Family, is another religious building in the town’s surroundings. ## Locarno Film Festival and Piazza Grande The Locarno Film Festival has been held every year since 1946 and includes competitive and non-competitive programs. Its selection ranges from feature films and documentaries to short films, avant-garde works and retrospectives. The festival’s highest prize is the Golden Leopard, awarded to the best film in the International Competition. Since 1971, the festival has taken place annually in August. One of its best-known features is the open-air cinema in Piazza Grande, which can welcome an audience of 8,000 people. The square becomes part of the festival experience, turning the historic center into a major cinematic setting. ## Explore Locarno with a free audio guide Download Neywo to explore Locarno with a self-guided walking tour. The app offers one walking route: **Locarno’s Old Town: From Visconti Castle to the Nuns’ Street**, covering 1.61 km in 81 minutes with 11 narrated stops. The walk includes Santa Maria in Selva, Casa Rusca, San Francesco Church and former Abbey, Castello Visconteo, Casorella, Santa Maria Assunta Church and the House of the Canonici, Negromante House, Morettini Palace and Convento di Santa Caterina. Each story plays as you reach the place, at your own pace, with no group and no schedule. ## Places with an audio guide in Locarno 8 places in Locarno with a Neywo audio guide. Each one starts telling its story as you reach it. - Castello Visconteo - Pinacoteca comunale Casa Rusca - Casorella - Museo civico archeologico Castello Visconteo - Locarno Film Festival - San Francesco Church and former Abbey - Locarno District - Morettini Palace ## Self-guided tours in Locarno 1 tour in Locarno, free in the Neywo app. Each stop tells its story as you reach it. - [Locarno's Old Town: From Visconti Castle to the Nuns' Street](https://app.neywo.com/tours/locarno/locarnos-old-town-from-visconti-castle-to-the?lang=en) — Walk, 1.6 km · 81 min · 11 stops: Santa Maria in Selva, Locarno, Sant'Antonio Abate Parish Church, Pinacoteca comunale Casa Rusca, Pioda Memorial, San Francesco Church and former Abbey, Castello Visconteo, Casorella, Santa Maria Assunta Church and House of the Canonici, Negromante House, Morettini Palace, Convento di Santa Caterina ## Walk Locarno with Neywo Neywo turns Locarno into a self-guided audio tour. Stories arrive as you reach the place they belong to, and the route reshapes when you wander off it. ## More in Ticino - [Lugano](https://neywo.com/destinations/switzerland/ticino/lugano.md) - [Ascona](https://neywo.com/destinations/switzerland/ticino/ascona.md) ## Elsewhere in Switzerland - [Lausanne](https://neywo.com/destinations/switzerland/vaud/lausanne.md) — Vaud - [Montreux](https://neywo.com/destinations/switzerland/vaud/montreux.md) — Vaud - [Vevey](https://neywo.com/destinations/switzerland/vaud/vevey.md) — Vaud - [Appenzell](https://neywo.com/destinations/switzerland/appenzell.md) - [Basel](https://neywo.com/destinations/switzerland/basel.md) - [Bern](https://neywo.com/destinations/switzerland/bern.md) - [Geneva](https://neywo.com/destinations/switzerland/geneva.md) - [Gruyères](https://neywo.com/destinations/switzerland/gruyeres.md) - [Interlaken](https://neywo.com/destinations/switzerland/interlaken.md) - [Lucerne](https://neywo.com/destinations/switzerland/lucerne.md) - [Sion](https://neywo.com/destinations/switzerland/sion.md) - [St Moritz](https://neywo.com/destinations/switzerland/st-moritz.md) --- HTML: https://neywo.com/destinations/switzerland/ticino/locarno App: https://app.neywo.com Español: https://neywo.com/es/destinations/switzerland/ticino/locarno.md Français: https://neywo.com/fr/destinations/switzerland/ticino/locarno.md Deutsch: https://neywo.com/de/destinations/switzerland/ticino/locarno.md