Collegio Papio - Ascona

The boarding school of Santa Maria della Misericordia in Ascona, best known as Collegio Papio, is over 400 years old. Built in 1586 on the initiative of Cardinal Carlo Borromeo and with the financial help of Bartolomeo Papio, the insitute represents the oldest tradition of private schools in Ticino. Nowadays, Collegio Papio consists of a middle school and a high school and accepts both male and female students. However, years ago, it used to be an all-girls school. The school counts among its graduates well known characters, such as the former Federal Councillor Flavio Cotti or the ski champion Lara Gut.