Ascona, Switzerland - First came the utopians, then the pensioners, and now, the Swiss municipality of Ascona is the location for those seeking the good life. At the beginning of the 20th century a group of vegetarians, anarchists and artists founded a colony in Ascona which is redefining itself again. What was once a small fishing village on the banks of Lake Maggiore is now undergoing a renaissance. Businessman Stefan Breuer, the young up-and-coming chef Ivo Adam and a few allies such as hotelier Philippe Fruttiger are stirring things up in Ascona. "Breuer and his fellow campaigners have awakened Ascona from its long slumber," say some locals. "He's destroying the place," say other, more noise-sensitive, residents.
In contrast to most of the other millionaires living in Ascona, Breuer did not come to settle down into quiet solitude. Instead, he opened a trendy restaurant and a bar on the lake-front promenade.
His flagship establishment is "Seven," a restaurant that would fit into any major capital city. It epitomises what Breuer defines as "lifestyle":it's very popular, even though it's not cheap. At the other end of the promenade is the more down-to-earth "Seven Easy" and the old town centre has the "Seven Asia." A "Seven" nightclub is also in the planning.
Visitors to Ascona who like to party have welcomed the development while the community's population of senior citizens are annoyed by what is going on. Breuer, for his part, is not concerned by his neighbours' worries. He has decided to go his own way - preferably barefoot.
Breuer would have fitted in well with his bare feet in Ascona in the early years of the 20th century when it was home to a colony of utopians who called Ascona's lake "Balabiott" - the Naked Dancer. Around 1900 the Belgian industrialist son Henri Oedenkoven founded a colony in Ascona whose members liked to dance naked over the pasture land on the 300-metre-high Monte Verita.
Opposition to Breuer's plans is slowing dissolving. "Many people have realised they can profit from us," explains Ivo Adam. Until now Ascona's Jazz festival provided a small portion of international atmosphere but otherwise the "pearl of Lake Maggiore" has been a place to go for a snooze rather than activities.
The place has also been taking on a more Teutonic feel and last year Ascona got a publicity boost from Germany when it hosted the country's national soccer team for the Euro 2008 football tournament. "Thanks in small part to the German team Ascona is experiencing a comeback," says hotelier Fruttiger. He has renovated his hotel and improved the standard of cooking in his restaurant "Ecco" where Rolf Fliegauf is master of the pots and pans.
Behind Ascona's postcard idyll, other residents are becoming more experimental: farmers have planted one of the most northerly rice fields in the world which produces rice for the local risotto speciality. Vintner Angelo Delia was one of the first local winemakers to use French oak barrels, leading to one of the best Merlots on the market.
Anyone who feels things are getting too busy in Ascona can always head towards Monte Verita where a tea house laid out with a Zen garden provides some magical tranquillity. High above Ascona and the Brissago islands set in the shimmering Lake Maggiore is space enough for everyone: the utopians, pensioners and the newcomers.
Internet: www.myswitzerland.com, www.ticino.ch, www.ascona.ch, www.monteverita.org.
