As the Autumn was already underway, the temperature had started dropping and sunny days were becoming a rarity. The forecast for last weekend was not exactly great, with prediction of a cloudy Saturday. So,my friends and I decided to go to the warmer southern part of Switzerland. These places,Lugano and other towns nearby, are part of the canton Ticino, borders Italy and the climate has a Mediterranean influence.
We took off early Saturday morning and our train was a CIS Alpino train(jointly operated by the Railways of Switzerland and Italy). Since the train route cuts through Alps and has several tunnels & curves, the CIS Alpino trains are tilting trains. These trains are designed to counteract the centrifugal forces in curves and enhance passenger comfort.
During the journey, the train passes through the beautiful city of Arth Goldau and also the famous Gotthard Rail Tunnel. This tunnel was completed in 1882 after 10 years of struggle. During the construction of the tunnel, several workers died due to construction accidents and also during a worker strike that was crushed by the Swiss army. This tunnel is 15 km long and was a breakthrough for the trans-Alps train traffic.
After 3 hrs of journey, we reached Bellinzona from where a train was ready for departure to Locarno. The journey time to Locarno from Bellinzona was about 30 minutes.
As we stepped out of the railway station, we got the first glimpse of Mediterranean ambience – Palm trees.
The climate was not perfect and was quite cloudy. But the clouds could only partially take away the beauty of the town. The Lake Locarno was especially beautiful. 
As we walked along the town, we came across some of the restaurants that serve Italian specialties – Pizzas and Gelatos(Ice creams). Here is a picture of a Pizzeria cum Gelateria.
Other sights included flower sales on the roadside.
Soon we reached the city square called “Piazza Grande”. It is here that the annual famous “Locarno International Film Festival” takes place. If you are here in August, you can get a glimpse of some of the famous film stars. The films are shown in cinemas during the day, but during the night, films are shown in open-air in this “Piazza Grande” on a giant screen.
Pretty close to the Piazza are these old Castle remains.
After roaming around the city, we headed back to lake. The tree leaves were changing colors and provided a great visual treat.
Walking along the lakeside was a delight. If only the sun had come out for some time!!
After having a coffee in one of the open-air restraunts, we arrived in the train station. We boarded the train for Bellinzona for our next leg of journey. We had heard that there are some great castles in Bellinzona and planned to spend some time there before proceeding to Lugano, another beautiful city.
The details of the trip to Lugano can be found here.