Orselina and the Locarno Treaties of 1925

ORGANIZER: Pro Orselina

Beginning Thursday, May 1, 2025, through Wednesday, April 30, 2026.

Open 24/24.

Location: between the Orselina-Cardada cable car and the parish church.

Free admission.

• Pro Orselina website

Fourteen panels, accompanied by period photographs, illustrate the close relations between Orselina and the protagonists of the Locarno Treaties. In fact, the favorite destination of politicians who have come to Locarno is the Madonna del Sasso, with its giant PAX inscription on the side of the church, which lights up the hill in the evening. First up in the funicular was British minister Chamberlain, followed by his French colleague Briand and the Italian delegation. A French journalist wrote, "If you want to taste all the enchantment of the city that nestles between the lake and the mountain, go up to Madonna del Sasso." Several panels then repurpose some postcards featuring the delegation leaders and the Shrine, as well as the humorous picture titled Le Pèlerinage au temple de la Paix à Locarno. Other pictures and commentary refer to the "Bernese Castle," the Municipal House - the work of architect Ferdinando Bernasconi who designed the Praetorium in 1905 - and the Orselina Hill in the early 20th century.