A unique nautical project is being built on the Swiss shores of Lake Maggiore - a marina whose foundations are not anchored in the lake bed, but appear to be suspended in the water. With an innovative supporting structure, 280 berths and an investment of around 19 million euros, the Porto del Gambarogno could become a pioneering example of inland marinas on steeply sloping shores.
Necessity is the mother of invention
The architecture of the planned harbour near Gambarogno, on the southern shore of the Swiss part of Lake Maggiore, breaks with traditional harbour construction rules: Instead of a shallow water zone in which dolphins, sheet piling or piers stabilise the harbour, a 1,000-tonne floating underwater steel structure is to support the jetties. This approach was necessary due to the special topography of the lake.
Tips for Alpine sailing areas:
Anyone who has ever been sailing in the northern part of Lake Maggiore will recognise the gap: While the northern shore has historic moorings such as Locarno, Ascona and Brissago, the southern shore (Canton Ticino) around San Nazzaro has always been inaccessible from a nautical point of view: steep coasts and rocky walls that plunge to depths of 60 to over 100 metres just behind the shore. Traditional harbour basins were not feasible here. To overcome this obstacle, the municipality of Gambarogno invested 19 million Swiss francs - the equivalent of almost 20 million euros - in a visionary project. The result is a floating construction designed by Studio Sciarini with technical support from Ingemar. Vertical piles rise up from the three-dimensional steel structure, along which the floating walkways glide like a lift. It adapts to variable water levels and, according to the planners, also minimises interference with the soil and ecosystem.
Timetable and prospects
Completion is already planned for spring 2027, and the harbour is already raising expectations far beyond the region. While traditional harbour facilities are tied to shallow shore areas, the new harbour on Lake Maggiore also opens up new perspectives for other lakes where depths, terrain and shore conditions have previously made large marinas difficult to access.
The facilities are being built by specialised engineers and nautical suppliers. With 280 berths for yachts between eight and 20 metres in length, around 440 metres of jetty space and 137 finger pontoons, a marina complex is to be built within a year that will meet all the requirements of modern leisure and sports boats. The construction will be complemented by a floating breakwater pier of around 340 metres in length.
Sailing area Lake Maggiore
Lake Maggiore is a 212 square kilometre Alpine lake that stretches from Lombardy through Switzerland to Piedmont. It is one of the deepest freshwater lakes in Europe (up to 372 metres) and an established spot for sailing and motor boating. It is one of Europe's internationally recognised inland waters, alongside Lake Garda, Lake Como and Lake Lugano. With its alpine backdrop, Mediterranean climate and growing nautical infrastructure, the lake has already won over many owners, charter customers and sports sailors. The new marina is intended to complement the tourist offer on the lake and create a further point of contact for international guests.
The "floating" harbour basin is not the first time that Switzerland has shown how technical progress and the revitalisation of leisure and tourism infrastructure can go hand in hand. The project is a statement for the future of inland boating: away from rigid, classic harbour basins and towards flexible, water-level-independent solutions that do justice to the area and its users.
Jill Grigoleit
Editor Travel
Jill Grigoleit was born in Hanover in 1985. An early childhood memory is the large collection of YACHT and SURF magazines from her sailing and surfing enthusiast father. However, growing up in a small Swabian village on the Neckar, she had less to do with water sports in her childhood, apart from a few trips to the Baltic Sea with her family. After studying journalism in Bremen and Hanover, she went into television for a few years. Through a few lucky coincidences, she ended up on the water in 2011 and then returned to the written word professionally. For over ten years, she lived with her family on a houseboat in their own harbor south of Hamburg and wrote a book about houseboat building and life with children on the water. Since 2020, she has mainly been writing travel reports and features about people who live and work on and near the water for BOOTE. She has been a permanent member of the Delius Klasing water sports editorial team since January 2024.
