Ascona is located directly on Lake Maggiore. The small town is separated from Locarno by the river Maggia and its valley. Ascona's lakeside promenade, which dates back to the 13th century, has a Mediterranean feel and the Mediterranean climate matches it. The present old town was largely built in the 16th century. Of the four castles, only the Castello dei Griglioni still exists today. It stands on the lake promenade. Of the Castello di San Materno, which was built in the 19th and 20th centuries in the north of Ascones, only the remains of the Romanesque castle chapel remain
