#ticinomoments 2023

DISCOVER – LOCARNO
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LOCARNO
01. Opened in March 2005,
the Camellia Park is home to 1,476
camellia plants over
around 15,000 m 2 .
02. The famous and well-organised
“Camelie Locarno” event boasts
around 200 camellia varieties.
03. Daniele Marcacci, Chair of the
Swiss Camellia Society, has been
responsible for Locarno’s gardens
and parks for almost 40 years.
02
03
01
Not everyone knows that the leaves of the camellia
(sinensis) can be used to make green tea
and fermented black tea. The camellia (japonica)
arrived in Europe in the late 18 th century thanks
to the travels of the East India Company. However,
another century seems to have passed
before it reached Locarno, imported from the
Italian shores of Lake Maggiore, where it was
already cultivated and propagated by the talented
gardeners working for the aristocratic
Borromeo family. “The camellias overlooking
Largo Zorzi today, in the heart of the city, are
more than 150 years old,” explains Daniele Marcacci,
President of the Swiss Camellia Society.
Daniele started out as a landscape gardener
almost 40 years ago, before being placed in
charge of the city of Locarno’s gardens and
parks. The camellia holds no secrets from him.
With its granite valleys, acid soil and mild
climate, the Locarno area is truly the perfect
habitat for this plant that puts on its best
display in spring. This is clear to see in the
public gardens, on the shores of the lake and
in countless private gardens, which become
filled with colour and lit up by hues that range
from white to red.
THE FESTIVAL
In order to celebrate the beauty of this flower,
an event dedicated especially to it has been held
every spring since the 1990s: Camelie Locarno.
Five days to gain first-hand experience of the
numerous unique features of this plant and
more. Indeed, in addition to the central pavilion