Perched on a sunlit hill above Ascona, with Lake Maggiore shimmering through the trees below, Monte Verita is one of the most spiritually charged places in all of Switzerland. At the turn of the 20th century, this "Hill of Truth" became the beating heart of a radical movement dedicated to spiritual search and life renewal, drawing intellectuals, academics and artists from across Northern Europe. For two extraordinary decades, the hill thrummed with utopian ideals. Today, many traces of that era remain, and a museum itinerary centred on the celebrated Casa Anatta, along with guided tours through the park, invites visitors to immerse themselves in this singular crossroad of Middle-European culture.
The Visit
In 1900, a cooperative vegetarian colony took root on this Ascona hillside. Its members championed open-air living, sunbathing and working the land as a bold critique of the industrialised world of the late 19th century. Monte Verita quickly became a gathering place for free-thinking intellectuals and artists, predominantly from Northern Europe. The beauty of its hilly trails, said to possess a unique magnetism, continues to draw nature lovers and seekers year-round.
The Casa Anatta Museum
Following a meticulous renovation that restored it to its original splendour, Casa Anatta reopened to the public in May 2017. This early 20th-century wooden structure was built and inhabited first by founding members of the Vegetarian Colony and later by Baron von der Heydt. From 1981, it housed the celebrated exhibition "Breasts of Truth", curated by museum specialist and art historian Harald Szeemann. In honour of the reopening, Szeemann's visionary exhibition has been faithfully reinstated in full respect of his original intentions and the principles of cultural preservation. Guided tour, by reservation only (Tel. 091 785 40 40).
Other Historic Buildings
Several other carefully restored buildings dot the grounds. "Casa Selma" (1901), a spare, airy chalet-type timber dwelling, once housed the hill's earliest guests. This small wooden structure has preserved all its original 1920s features, from the colour of its walls to its minimalist, evocative furniture. An in-house exhibition, complete with a video exploring the extraordinary history of Monte Verita, brings the past vividly to life.
The restoration also brought new life to the "Casa dei Russi" (House of the Russians), one of 12 light-filled chalets that formed the early 20th-century Monte Verita sanatorium. It takes its name from the Russian students who found refuge here after the failed Russian Revolution of 1905.
A comprehensive guide available as a smartphone app (downloadable on Google Play or iTunes) in Italian, German, French and English leads visitors through the fascinating layers of the "Utopian Hill".
Elisarion Pavilion
Nestled in the park, this pavilion shelters a truly singular work of art: the circular painting by Elisar von Kupffer entitled "Il chiaro mondo dei beati" (1920-1939, "The Clear World of the Blissful"), now beautifully restored. Composed of 16 canvases forming a panoramic circle nearly 9 metres in diameter, the painting depicts 84 male nudes in an idyllic earthly paradise across 33 scenes, each described in verse by the artist himself. Rendered in the style of Romantic and Pre-Raphaelite masters, it stands as a unique historical and artistic testimony. The Elisarion Pavilion forms part of the broader Monte Verita museum complex alongside Casa Anatta with its permanent Szeemann exhibition and the original air-and-light huts of the colony's founders.
Activities
Guided tours reveal the captivating history of the "Utopian Hill", leading visitors along park pathways while weaving together the stories of prominent figures, historical periods, architectural projects and the utopian dreams they embodied. By reservation only (Tel. 091 785 40 40). Duration: 90 minutes.
For a deeper experience, an excursion to the "power places" of Monte Verita and its surrounding hills offers an easy, contemplative walk through the landscape's legendary magnetism. By reservation only, from 5 persons (Tel. 091 785 40 40). Duration: 110 or 170 minutes (walking time approximately 60 or 90 minutes).
In keeping with the hill's spirit of mindful living, a Japanese tea ceremony based on an ancient 450-year-old tradition rooted in Zen Buddhism is hosted every 1st and 3rd Saturday of the month at the Monte Verita Tea House. This meditative ritual is performed exactly as it was in the 16th century, a rare and deeply calming experience. Reservation: Casa del te (tel. 091 791 43 00). Duration: 90 minutes.
An Interesting Act
In the park, the permanent installation "Laban's Training Area" by Ticino artist Miki Tallone, recipient of the Federal Swiss Art Award 2012, pays tribute to the legacy of Rudolf von Laban, the father of modern dance who founded his summer dance school on Monte Verita in 1913. Inspired by the icosahedron, a platonic solid of 12 vertices, 30 edges and 20 equilateral triangular faces that Laban used as a tool for mapping movement in space, Tallone built a full-scale version with sides measuring 142.20 centimetres. He then disassembled it and installed five fragments at different locations across the property, creating an "artistic health trail" that invites visitors to move through space with fresh awareness.
Monte Verita: not only a museum
Beyond its museum heritage, the hill is home to an internationally acclaimed conference and cultural centre devoted to themes that echo its past: scientific and spiritual research, art, physical and psychological wellbeing, and cultural events. Monte Verita also serves as the conference centre for the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology in Zurich (ETHZ), one of the world's highest-ranked academic institutions, which hosts seminars and scientific congresses here at international level.
A proud member of the Swiss Historic Hotels chain since 2010 and winner of the "Historic Hotel of the Year" award in 2013, the property is listed as a cultural heritage asset for its distinguished Bauhaus-style architecture. The hotel complex is set within a century-old park where indigenous and exotic plant species flourish in the area's Mediterranean climate. A restaurant with sweeping views over Ascona and Lake Maggiore invites visitors to savour revisited recipes rooted in Monte Verita's culinary traditions and inspired by the remarkable people who shaped its legend.
