Having finally arrived to the hotel and of course our destination Locarno, we have soon realized that Switzerland is very different. Dramatic mountains with lakes and valleys between them, a different language and a very different culture. After a hearty breakfast at the hotel, we departed for many of our destinations, one of which we had to take a cable car to reach it, as the Church of Santa Maria degli Angeli by Mario Botta is situated on the Monte Tamaro. Having caught bad weather, the overall experience was even more mystical and almost spiritual, as the building was slowly uncovering itself on of the sides of the mountain overlooking probably the valley, but the weather giving us the possibility of staring into nothing but the white mist accompanied by wind and rain. It thus wasn’t much of a surprise that after experiencing spiritually and architecturally the space of this small church, that the majority of us have sought refuge in the local cafeteria to warm up a little, and drink some hot chocolate or tea.
Having gotten back to the bus, we ended up touring around different sites designed by both Mario Botta and also Livio Vacchini, of whom’s work we have visited the Palestra Caserma Losone, one of my personal favorites for not only its simplicity and attention to detail but also for its slightly brutal spirit.
(all photos credit to Ihwa Choi)