"You live in Zurich but you carry Ticino in your heart?" That is the question Pro Ticino Zurich puts to everyone who, on the banks of the Limmat, has never stopped feeling connected to Italian-speaking Switzerland. The next chance to answer it in person is Sunday 23 August 2026: the section is holding its annual picnic at the Forsthaus Waldegg in Uitikon, a few minutes from Zurich, starting at 11 am.
The format is as simple as things that have always worked. On arrival the section offers a welcome apéritif, then the day continues outdoors, in an unmistakably Ticinese atmosphere. The grill is there for everyone to use, and Ticino wines and other drinks are on sale on site at modest prices. One detail worth remembering: you bring your own food. There is no participation fee.
Uitikon-Waldegg is reached on the S10 line, which departs from Zurich Selnau because of the works under way between Zurich HB and Zurich Selnau, or by car. From the station the path to the Forsthaus is marked, as always, with small Ticino flags.
The invitation, signed by president Bruno Oetterli, is not limited to members and has no age limit: young and less young, single people, couples and whole families, grandparents and grandchildren. The picnic is traditionally the most open event of the year, the one where anyone who has recently moved to Zurich, or who has Ticino roots and is looking for a place to reconnect with them, can approach the section without any formalities. For organisational reasons, please sign up with secretary Luca Todeschini by writing to luca.todeschini@bluewin.ch.
Pro Ticino Zurich has been present in the city for more than a hundred years and is run by a committee that brings together, around president Bruno Oetterli, vice-president Pietro Angeli-Busi, treasurer Teresina Quadranti, Elisa Aeschbacher, Mirko Frapolli and secretary Luca Todeschini. The season of gatherings opened on 1 August with the traditional risottata, and the picnic at the end of the month is its natural sequel.
Behind the individual events, however, lies work that continues all year round. The section's choir performs traditional Ticino songs in costume. The bocce group meets at the Bocciodromo Letzigrund, where four lanes host tournaments and training. A team of volunteers runs an assistance service, visiting people from Ticino in the region's hospitals and in care homes, a service that attracts little attention but ranks among the most valuable. To this is added the cultural side: concerts, lectures, meetings with writers and theatre performances.
There is also the Italian school, aimed at anyone who wants to learn or improve the language: lessons take place every Wednesday from 4 pm to 5.30 pm with teacher Silvia Locati. It is one of the channels through which the section passes on its identity, including to people who are not from Ticino.
Becoming a member is straightforward: simply contact the section through the form on its website or get in touch with the president directly. All the information about the Zurich section, its activities and its upcoming events is available at proticino.ch/sezioni-in-svizzera/zurigo.
Pro Ticino Zurich picnic
Sunday 23 August 2026, from 11 am
GSZ Forsthaus Waldegg, Arthur-Rohn-Strasse 8, 8142 Uitikon
No fee. Welcome apéritif on the house, grill available, Ticino wines and drinks on sale at modest prices
Bring your own food
Getting there: S10 to Uitikon-Waldegg, departing from Zurich Selnau, then a path marked with Ticino flags
Registration: luca.todeschini@bluewin.ch
Information: proticino.ch/sezioni-in-svizzera/zurigo
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