#ticinomoments 2024

50
COLUMN
True beauty
Ticino’s artists have created buildings of timeless
beauty throughout Europe.
“Beauty will save the world.” It is quite possible that in putting this well-known thought down on
paper, the Russian writer Fyodor Dostoevsky was also thinking of the magnificent palaces and splendid
squares of Saint Petersburg. It was the mid-nineteenth century and the capital of the Russian
Empire was one of Europe’s most elegant cities. Interestingly, its foundation dates back no more
than a few decades earlier, more precisely to 1703, the year Peter the Great ordered the construction
from scratch of a new capital for his empire on the marshes at the mouth of the River Neva. Among
the architects involved in the project, Domenico Trezzini, originally from Astano in the Malcantone
region, soon made his mark. He is responsible for sixty-five of the city’s most iconic buildings, including
the Cathedral of Saints Peter and Paul, the Nevsky Monastery and the Tsar’s Summer Palace.
Although his legacy is undoubtedly unique, Trezzini is certainly not an isolated case. Over the centuries,
thousands of architects from Ticino have created amazing buildings for popes and bishops,
kings, princes and nobles. Driven by necessity, they had to draw upon all their inventiveness or were
forced to emigrate. Because hunger was the only thing to be found in abundance in their humble
villages, and certainly not the munificence of great patrons. However, they were able to find the
latter in Rome, Naples and Venice, in Vienna, Prague, Moscow and Saint Petersburg. It is there that
they erected architectural treasures that still leave visitors open-mouthed today.
A few examples? The ancient 320-tonne obelisk transported and erected by Domenico Fontana,
originally from Melide, in Saint Peter’s Square in Rome in 1585 – a Herculean feat that many believed
to be impossible. Saint Peter’s Basilica as designed by Michelangelo, completed by the genius of
Carlo Maderno, originally from Capolago, to whom we owe its current appearance. Or the church
of San Carlo alle Quattro Fontane, whose architecture was revolutionised by Francesco Borromini
from Bissone, bringing his unconventional mastery to Baroque Rome (although this earned him a
reputation as a heretic).
Many other names have fallen into oblivion, despite each of them being linked to great works. And
did you perhaps already know that the Bridge of Sighs in Venice was erected by Antonio Contin, from
Lugano, and that the Leopoldine Wing of the Hofburg in Vienna is by Filiberto Lucchese, from Melide?
The Foreign Ministry in Prague occupies a building designed by Francesco Caratti, from Bissone.
The University of Moscow is based on designs by Domenico Gilardi, from Montagnola. And thanks
to Gaspare Fossati, from Morcote, we can still admire one of humanity’s most important buildings
in all its glory: the ancient Hagia Sophia in Istanbul, the eighth wonder of the world, saved from
collapse in the mid-nineteenth century by extensive restoration work by the architect from Ticino.
Considering that the list of examples could go on and on, it seems incredible that over the centuries
this small triangle of land with Lugano, Malcantone and Mendrisio at its three corners has given
birth to such a number of brilliant artists. But as Dostoevsky said: “The truth is always implausible.”
Omar Gisler, born in 1976
in Altdorf (UR), worked for
many years as a correspondent
for the ATS and
the NZZ and as head of
communications at Ticino
Turismo. He has written
various books on football,
travel and history. His works
include “Terra d’artisti – Wie
Tessiner Baumeister europäische
Kunstgeschichte
schrieben”. He is now head
of the marketing and communication
office at Baden
Cantonal Hospital (KSB). He
was named "Communicator
of the Year" by the Swiss
Association for Internal and
Integrated Communication
(SVIK) in autumn 2023.
Omar Gisler
#ticinomoments 2024 © Ticino Turismo 2024 Editor: Ticino Turismo, Via Canonico Ghiringhelli 7, 6501 Bellinzona, ticino.ch Contact:
info@ticino.ch Editorial texts: Catherina Sitar; Veronica Pingue (Ticino Turismo) Illustrations: Variante Agenzia Creativa Art Direction and graphics:
Sabina Franzoni (Ticino Turismo) Photos: Fabio Balassi, Elisa Cappelletti, Luca Crivelli, parisiva.ch, Jacques Perler, Milo Zanecchia; Lone Bjoern, Matthias Blättler/
Ascona-Locarno Tourism, Sabina Franzoni, Jon Guler, Charly Hug/KSB, Kurhaus Cademario, Daniel Loosli/Switzerland Tourism, Alberto Moya/@swiss, Alessio
Pizzicannella/Ascona-Locarno Tourism, M. Schindler/@Storyflow Photolithography: Prestampa Taiana SA Printing: Salvioni arti grafiche Circulation:
2,500 copies The Ticino Turismo magazine is published annually in English, Italian, German and French Printed in Switzerland.