Palm trees, semi-tropical vegetation and Mediterranean-style architecture bathed in late summer sunshine - it's not how we tend to think of Switzerland. But that's canton Ticino, Italian-speaking Switzerland on the southern side of the Swiss Alps.
Our Turner Hall Swiss Heritage Tour Group begins the day with another sumptuous breakfast, many sitting outside, enjoying the warm, fresh air. After a leisurely breakfast, we stroll over to the landing and board a sight-seeing boat for a tour around Lake Maggiore, sandwiched between canton Ticino and Italy. After the scenic tour in the bright sunshine and lake breezes, we scatter and stroll through the streets of Locarno's Old Town.
We enjoy lunch of Italian pasta and local beer at one of the many delightful sidewalk cafes. Some take the funicular (cog railway) up the mountainside, and a chair lift to the peak's summit for a spectacular view of Locarno and Lake Maggiore far below.
The evening meal is another four-course dinner - pasta following salad is just the precursor to the main course, and dessert of gelato, the Italian version of ice cream.
It's now time to return from Italian Switzerland to the north side of the Alps. We ascend a winding road of hairpin turns to the historic Gotthard Pass. In the 13th century, there was little interest in lands immediately north of the Alps, the high, jagged rocky spine that divides northern and southern Europe. That changed dramatically as opening of the Pass made possible lucrative trade with Mediterranean lands to the south. This meant that the Austrian Habsburgs and local communities of Uri and Schwyz were about to clash.
We descend the north side of the Alps to canton Uri and the Devil's Bridge. Legend has it that this crossing was so hazardous that a Swiss herdsman made a pact with the Devil - in return for building the bridge, the Devil would claim the soul of the first person crossing the bridge. The herdsman agreed, but sent a goat for the first crossing. The angered Devil fetched a rock with the intention of smashing the bridge. But an old woman drew a cross on the rock, precluding the Devil from lifting it. The bridge can now be crossed without fear.
We reach the city of Altdorf, the site of the origin of the legend of Wilhelm Tell, commemorated by a statue of Tell holding his crossbow, holding his son's hand.
According to legend, Austrian tyrant, Hermann Gessler, places his hat atop a pole in Altdorf's village square. Passersby are ordered to bow down before it. Tell and his son pass by without even a nod. Tell is immediately arrested. Gessler makes a bargain with Tell, who is reputed as expert with the crossbow. If, with his crossbow, Tell can split an apple placed on his son's head, he will be allowed to go free.
Tell withdraws two arrows from his quiver. He places one on his bow and manages to split the apple with his unerring shot. Gessler asks what Tell planned to do with his second arrow. Tell replies that had he missed, and killed his son, his second arrow was meant for Gessler's heart, and he would not have missed.
With that, Tell is arrested. Gessler's guards take Tell across Lake Uri, the southern end of Lake Lucerne, to be placed in prison in Kuesnacht. During the crossing a vicious storm comes up. The guards untie Tell with the intention of using his strength and skill with boats to save them. As they near the shore, Tell jumps from the boat and swims to safety. Sometime later, Tell tracks down Gessler and assassinates him with his crossbow.
The Tell legend dovetails with the real-life Swiss nation building. Very few Swiss can even name the three founding fathers who met in 1291 on the Ruetli Meadow in canton Uri. Walter Fuerst, representing canton Uri; Arnold von Melchtal, representing canton Unterwalden; and Werner Stauffacher, representing canton Schwyz, after which the new nation would be named, swear an oath of unity - the origin of a diverse nation that would eventually contain 26 cantons.
If this were any nation other than Switzerland, the Ruetli meadow would be ordained with statues, and the site turned into a tourist trap. But with characteristic Swiss modesty, the document stating the pact on which the three men swore allegiance rests in a museum in Schwyz. Instead of statues of the three men, a statue of Tell is erected in Altdorf.
It's a bit ironic that the earlier Tell legend was revealed to the world by German author, Friedrich Schiller. The famous Wilhelm Tell Overture, originally titled in French (Guillume Tell), was written by an Italian, Gioachino Rossini.
The statue of Tell in Altdorf has a connection with Monroe's Turner Hall. A Swiss immigrant to Green County, Carl Marty from canton Thurgau, was a significant contributor to our local cheese industry. He was also a talented artist. His painting of Tell and son with the crossbow, a likeness of that statue in Altdorf, is prominently displayed in Turner Hall's Ratskeller.
Carl's grandson, Wally, was one of my classmates at Monroe High School. Wally relates the story of his older brother, Rob, modeling the role of Tell's son when Grandpa Carl was painting the picture.
If Tell's son in the painting appears a bit surly, it's because brother Rob was not happy about posing for that painting.
Two of Switzerland's three most famous citizens are fictitious, Wilhelm Tell, and Heidi. The third famous citizen, Roger Federer, is a world champion tennis player.
If most Swiss citizens can't name their founding fathers, and don't pay much attention to their national politicians, it's not because they are unaware. In fact, the Swiss are very politically aware and astute. It's because Swiss politicians are not accorded, and not expected to seek, celebrity status. They are expected to exhibit that famed Swiss work ethic and get down to business.
How quaint! And, how very Swiss.
- John Waelti of Monroe can be reached at jjwaelti1@tds.net. His column appears Fridays in The Monroe Times.
Our Turner Hall Swiss Heritage Tour Group begins the day with another sumptuous breakfast, many sitting outside, enjoying the warm, fresh air. After a leisurely breakfast, we stroll over to the landing and board a sight-seeing boat for a tour around Lake Maggiore, sandwiched between canton Ticino and Italy. After the scenic tour in the bright sunshine and lake breezes, we scatter and stroll through the streets of Locarno's Old Town.
We enjoy lunch of Italian pasta and local beer at one of the many delightful sidewalk cafes. Some take the funicular (cog railway) up the mountainside, and a chair lift to the peak's summit for a spectacular view of Locarno and Lake Maggiore far below.
The evening meal is another four-course dinner - pasta following salad is just the precursor to the main course, and dessert of gelato, the Italian version of ice cream.
It's now time to return from Italian Switzerland to the north side of the Alps. We ascend a winding road of hairpin turns to the historic Gotthard Pass. In the 13th century, there was little interest in lands immediately north of the Alps, the high, jagged rocky spine that divides northern and southern Europe. That changed dramatically as opening of the Pass made possible lucrative trade with Mediterranean lands to the south. This meant that the Austrian Habsburgs and local communities of Uri and Schwyz were about to clash.
We descend the north side of the Alps to canton Uri and the Devil's Bridge. Legend has it that this crossing was so hazardous that a Swiss herdsman made a pact with the Devil - in return for building the bridge, the Devil would claim the soul of the first person crossing the bridge. The herdsman agreed, but sent a goat for the first crossing. The angered Devil fetched a rock with the intention of smashing the bridge. But an old woman drew a cross on the rock, precluding the Devil from lifting it. The bridge can now be crossed without fear.
We reach the city of Altdorf, the site of the origin of the legend of Wilhelm Tell, commemorated by a statue of Tell holding his crossbow, holding his son's hand.
According to legend, Austrian tyrant, Hermann Gessler, places his hat atop a pole in Altdorf's village square. Passersby are ordered to bow down before it. Tell and his son pass by without even a nod. Tell is immediately arrested. Gessler makes a bargain with Tell, who is reputed as expert with the crossbow. If, with his crossbow, Tell can split an apple placed on his son's head, he will be allowed to go free.
Tell withdraws two arrows from his quiver. He places one on his bow and manages to split the apple with his unerring shot. Gessler asks what Tell planned to do with his second arrow. Tell replies that had he missed, and killed his son, his second arrow was meant for Gessler's heart, and he would not have missed.
With that, Tell is arrested. Gessler's guards take Tell across Lake Uri, the southern end of Lake Lucerne, to be placed in prison in Kuesnacht. During the crossing a vicious storm comes up. The guards untie Tell with the intention of using his strength and skill with boats to save them. As they near the shore, Tell jumps from the boat and swims to safety. Sometime later, Tell tracks down Gessler and assassinates him with his crossbow.
The Tell legend dovetails with the real-life Swiss nation building. Very few Swiss can even name the three founding fathers who met in 1291 on the Ruetli Meadow in canton Uri. Walter Fuerst, representing canton Uri; Arnold von Melchtal, representing canton Unterwalden; and Werner Stauffacher, representing canton Schwyz, after which the new nation would be named, swear an oath of unity - the origin of a diverse nation that would eventually contain 26 cantons.
If this were any nation other than Switzerland, the Ruetli meadow would be ordained with statues, and the site turned into a tourist trap. But with characteristic Swiss modesty, the document stating the pact on which the three men swore allegiance rests in a museum in Schwyz. Instead of statues of the three men, a statue of Tell is erected in Altdorf.
It's a bit ironic that the earlier Tell legend was revealed to the world by German author, Friedrich Schiller. The famous Wilhelm Tell Overture, originally titled in French (Guillume Tell), was written by an Italian, Gioachino Rossini.
The statue of Tell in Altdorf has a connection with Monroe's Turner Hall. A Swiss immigrant to Green County, Carl Marty from canton Thurgau, was a significant contributor to our local cheese industry. He was also a talented artist. His painting of Tell and son with the crossbow, a likeness of that statue in Altdorf, is prominently displayed in Turner Hall's Ratskeller.
Carl's grandson, Wally, was one of my classmates at Monroe High School. Wally relates the story of his older brother, Rob, modeling the role of Tell's son when Grandpa Carl was painting the picture.
If Tell's son in the painting appears a bit surly, it's because brother Rob was not happy about posing for that painting.
Two of Switzerland's three most famous citizens are fictitious, Wilhelm Tell, and Heidi. The third famous citizen, Roger Federer, is a world champion tennis player.
If most Swiss citizens can't name their founding fathers, and don't pay much attention to their national politicians, it's not because they are unaware. In fact, the Swiss are very politically aware and astute. It's because Swiss politicians are not accorded, and not expected to seek, celebrity status. They are expected to exhibit that famed Swiss work ethic and get down to business.
How quaint! And, how very Swiss.
- John Waelti of Monroe can be reached at jjwaelti1@tds.net. His column appears Fridays in The Monroe Times.
