In Brissago there is ferment: Some private initiatives are emerging that promise to give new impetus to tourism and the country’s economy, of which tourism is undoubtedly an important pillar. “It is a challenge that deserves respect and attention on the part of the political authority to open new activities in a small reality such as ours – says the mayor, Roberto Ponti –. It is very positive to note that there are small entrepreneurs who show sensitivity and confidence in the future of Brissago, and for us administrators it is a stimulus that drives us to work to improve infrastructure and framework conditions.

Among those who believe in Brissago is Gian Domenico Marcucci, 60 years old in August. After working for a long time in the financial sector in Zurich, in 2020 he decided to invest in tourism activities. He started by running a holiday apartment residence. Then, recently, he rented a place on the lakefront, in the Gabietta area, until last summer home to a small ice cream parlour, where he offers services intended not only for his customers but for all those who want to live experiences related to the lake and the mountain, including residents.

‘Within the restaurant I am creating a small ‘ ⁇ grotto’ where you can taste Brissago wines and local products,’ says Marcucci. I also believe that we should make more use of the lake, and for this purpose I bought an old eight-seater wooden boat with which I will organize tourist trips, then a larger one will arrive with a dozen places. I also intend to reactivate a pedal boat service, which already existed in the past.

In these three years Marcucci has also expanded the activity linked to holiday homes, taking over from the Parish the small eighteenth-century building annexed to the church of the Sacro Monte, which once housed priests, and two rustic buildings in the hamlet of Porta. But its entrepreneurial policy goes far beyond the simple reception and is developing in that sort of center for tourist services created on the lakefront that belongs to the company Brissago Experience: ‘I intend to propose guided excursions to discover the village and its hamlets, and above all the mountains, from the Sacred Forest to the Al Legn and Gridone refuges. And organise, in cooperation with Bike Brix, a bike rental service and guided mountain bike tours.

Bike Brix is another private initiative that was recently launched. Stefano Facchini, 46, decided to leave Mendrisiotto, where he lived, and move to Brissago with his wife. "We were fascinated by the beauty of the place," he explains. Thus, in April Bike Brix was born, in via Leoncavallo, opposite the Tourist Office. “We offer classic bicycle repair and maintenance services, including at home – says Facchini – and a bike rental service for individuals or hotels: classic, electric, racing and gravel, those travelling only on dirt roads’. Again, this is a tourist initiative, but it is also aimed at the resident population:

“We organise guided tours in the region, from the valleys to the Magadino Plan, we accompany tourists, but not only tourists, to discover the area: lunches at the grotto, tastings of Brissago wines or gastronomic products in Vallemaggia.

“These are very important initiatives, above all because they start from below, from individual entrepreneurs who have decided to believe in the future of our municipality – says the municipal Fabio Solari, head of the Dicastery for Economic Promotion –. And it is perfectly in line with the objectives that we set ourselves with the analysis of the strengths and weaknesses of the ‘Brissago Destination’ entrusted to the former director of Ticino Turismo Elia Frapolli and resulting in the participatory survey presented last year’.

Mayor Ponti stresses for his part how important it is today to support and interpret the needs of tourists, who prefer increasingly active holidays: “There is a growing trend towards activities in nature, i.e. cycling, boating, hiking in the mountains. And we are lucky enough to have a village that embraces lake and mountain: a splendid lakeside promenade, a renovated beach, some public beaches, and three coasts with as many roads that reach a thousand meters above sea level and that allow you to reach the Al Legn Refuge and the peak of the Gridone.

The City Hall is creating the conditions to support and promote the development of new business and commercial activities with important investments: the new municipal beach, the paving of the lakefront, the renovation of Casa Branca, the study to create a hilly cycle path between Brissago, Ronco and Monte Verità, the project to extend the lakefront to the former Tabacchi factory and the Church of Madonna di Ponte ... While the Culture and Tourism Commission, under the guidance of the municipal Veronica Marcacci Rossi, is working to propose events and opportunities for meeting and recreation, aimed both at the resident population and those who live Brissago as a holiday destination.