I am on a quest to find the name of a town in southern Switzerland that I read about in an issue of Bon Appetit magazine either in the late 90s or early 2000s. The article described a person's visit to a small town in the Italian speaking portion of Switzerland. It gave the names of hotels, restaurants, a bakery, and other businesses that were recommended. I am sure I must have thrown away the magazine when we moved in 2004 and now we are planning a trip to Europe for next year and I would like to discover the name of the town so we could possibly visit there. I have scanned the Swiss map and I cannot recall the name but if anyone may be familiar with that article I would appreciate learning it. The only detail I can definitely remember is that the author rode a mountainous train to the small town. I know this is not much to go on but I thought it may be worth a shot. Thanks.
Posted by
Vernon, Canada
32318 posts
Jerry,
The only town that comes to mind is Locarno, which is in the Canton of Ticino in the Italian-speaking part of Switzerland. The "mountain train" could perhaps be the Centovalli Railway, which is one method of accessing the town. However, Locarno is not exactly a "small town" so it may not be the one you're looking for.
Hopefully someone here will have old copies of the magazine on hand, and provide a more definitive answer to your question.
Cheers!
Posted by
Portland
3635 posts
Is there a public library in Weimar, TX? I know that if I were on a quest such as yours, I would go to my local branch and ask the reference librarian to help me run down the article. Most large circulation magazines are indexed in some way, and you should be able to find what you're searching for. You might even be able to find it independently by googling Bon Appetit and going on from there.
Posted by
Taylor, TX, USA
416 posts
I would bet it was Ticino, too. I want to say the red line from Meiringen will get you there, but don't quote me on that. Check untours.com as they have rentals in Ticino and would have the train information there.
Posted by
OP
Tyler, TX, USA
164 posts
Thanks to all for your input. I will try those suggestions. I did not even think of going to the public library to see if they had back issues of the magazine. I have searched the Bon Appetit website many times but they do not have an archives section. I even wrote to them asking them why they dont have an archives section suggesting that they could make that a new feature. I will look into Tocino and see if that rings any bells.
Posted by
Vernon, Canada
32318 posts
Just to clarify, I believe Ticino is a Canton or small region within Switzerland, rather than a town or village. It's likely that the OP was referring to a specific town in magazine article.
Posted by
OH, OH, USA
1158 posts
Have you tried the map of Switzerland yet?
Posted by
dallas, tx, usa
1358 posts
Take a look at this page and use the search box at the top of the page to ask for the archives of articles.
http://www.bonappetit.com.
Posted by
OP
Tyler, TX, USA
164 posts
Hey folks, thanks for the ideas. I have already scanned the map of Switzerland to see if I recognize the name of the town and I did not. I have done everything with the Bon Appetit web page that one can do including look for an archive of articles on the website and found out that such does not exist. I also wrote to the webmaster of the webpage and explained what I was looking for and the person who wrote back did not have any idea where I could find it. Bon Appetit's website is great to find recipes and I use it as well as their epicurious website regularly but they do not offer an archive of articles they have published. I plan to go to our nearest large city, Austin, and go to their public library soon and see if they may have archives of the magazine. Also, I am beginning a search of Half Price bookstores to see if anyone may have sold the copy to them and they are selling it. Thanks for all the ideas that have been offered.
Posted by
San Leandro, CA, USA
632 posts
Jerry,
In true ETBD tradition, I suggest that instead of spending an inordinate amount of time trying to find the exact same town as was described in the Bon Appetit magazine, spend some time looking for a town in southern Switzerland that has the features you are looking for...I'll bet you will have a better time creating your own experience rather than trying to relive the experience described by someone else.
Posted by
Vernon, Canada
32318 posts
Jerry,
If you do manage to find the name of the town, post another note. I'm really curious now on which town it is? Unfortunately, our local Library is quite small, and not likely to have too many back issues (if any?) of that magazine.
Good luck in your search!
Posted by
OH, OH, USA
1158 posts
Is it Campione d'Italia?
Posted by
southwest, Missouri, U.S.A.
1717 posts
Hi Jerry. I recommend : go to Locarno. If that is not the town that was mentioned in the magazine, I guess that Locarno is better than the town that was mentioned in the magazine. And Ascona is a smaller town, near Locarno, located across the Maggia river delta. Read about Ascona and Locarno, in the travel guide book "Switzerland" (Lonely Planet) written by Damien Simonis, Sarah Johnstone, Nicola Williams. 5th Edition, or a later edition of that book.
Posted by
Florida
151 posts
I have followed this post for a few days out of curiosity...could it be Lugano, Switzerland, nestled in the mountains just a little past the Italian border and they do speak primarily Italian???