Most of the merchandise that's for sale in Locarno is practical instead of glittery. There's a cluster of fashionable boutiques along piazza Grande, the centerpiece of the town's shopping district, but overall, shoppers are usually better off wandering through the sprawling spaces of the town's three department stores. These are Globus, Largo Zorzi (tel. 091/756-39-39), where a worthy collection of local handicrafts and Swiss souvenirs is for sale; the somewhat less upscale but just as comprehensive Manor, Piazza Grande (tel. 091/756-86-99); and Migros, via Franchini 31 (tel. 091/756-88-11). In other corners of Switzerland Migros is known only as an American-style grocery-store chain, but in Locarno the store sells Italian and Swiss food, wine, and specialty goods such as prosciutto, as well as hardware, clothing, souvenirs of the region, and virtually everything else you'd expect in a major department store.
Does your proximity to Italy make you thirsty for the fruit of the grape? Two family-run vineyards lie within 3km (2 miles) of Locarno, and both sell bottles of their products. They are Delea, signposted in the hamlet of Losone, a short drive north of Locarno (tel. 091/791-08-17), and Matasci, signposted in the hamlet of Tenero (tel. 091/735-60-11; www.matasci-vini.ch). Each produces both white and red wines, all of which are for sale.
