Porto Ronco on Lake Maggiore

Porto Ronco is the part of the municipality of Ronco sopra Ascona located on Lake Maggiore. In some places, the district is structurally connected to the historic village center. The different beaches, hiking trails and historic buildings give you a clear idea of the experiences you can combine when choosing where to stay. The boat connection to the Brissago Islands and bus route 316 are also relevant for getting around.

Beaches with different amenities

The beaches differ considerably. Porto Ronco beach is small and has no facilities. It is in the Porto Ronco area, below the cantonal road to Brissago. McCouch is also a small beach with no facilities; a large eucalyptus tree provides shade there. Crodolo, by contrast, offers a beach area with amenities on a sunbathing lawn, along with services, a café and a restaurant. If you are planning a beach visit, you can choose between an area with the amenities mentioned and two smaller beaches without facilities.

These differences can help you treat each beach as a separate part of your day’s plans, rather than grouping all three together as similar places to swim. At Crodolo, the sunbathing lawn, café and restaurant are part of the amenities described; at Porto Ronco and McCouch, their small size and lack of facilities are defining features. The shade of the eucalyptus tree is another specific feature of McCouch.

Hikes and different time estimates

The Rasa–Ronco sopra Ascona hike descends to Porto Ronco along a route with many switchbacks. The full route is listed as 12.8 kilometers long, with a duration of 5 hours and 20 minutes. Route information may change slightly as it is updated. This long hike should not be confused with a single descent time: on the Ascona–Ronco sopra Ascona–Brissago route, the descent from Ronco sopra Ascona to Porto Ronco takes about 15 minutes. This estimate applies to that section, not to the entire hike.

This means two very different time scales come into play in Porto Ronco: the several-hour hike from Rasa, with its descent along many switchbacks, and the roughly 15-minute descent from Ronco sopra Ascona. When planning a hike, make sure you check whether the duration refers to the whole route or just the section leading to Porto Ronco.

Getting your bearings by boat and bus

The Brissago Islands can be reached by boat from Porto Ronco. As schedules may vary, it is advisable to check the connection for your planned visit. Bus route 316 connects Porto Ronco with Locarno and Brissago. After the Ascona tunnel, it runs along Lake Maggiore. For planning purposes, it is useful to consider the boat connection and bus route separately: you can reach the islands by boat, while the bus connects Locarno and Brissago with Porto Ronco.

Oratory and architectural history

The history of the buildings can also be seen at specific sites. An oratory in the Porto Ronco district can be reached by a staircase. It was built in 1762 by the brothers Benedetto and Carlantonio Cattaneo from the remains of a small chapel dating back to 1620. The two dates mark different construction phases: 1620 refers to the chapel, and 1762 to the construction of the oratory.

Another architectural landmark is Casa Tutsch in Porto Ronco. The building dates from 1928 and was designed by Carl Weidemeyer, a pioneer of modern architecture in Ticino. Together, the oratory and Casa Tutsch offer two different historical points of reference: the oratory reflects the history of religious architecture, while Casa Tutsch represents modern architecture in Ticino. This allows you to take in both older building history and 20th-century architecture as you explore the district.

Discover more destinations: Sonogno, Vogorno, Gresso, Corippo, Gordola, Cugnasco-Gerra, Indemini, Frasco.

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