Impressive and visible to any visitor of Ascona from the lake side, the slim bell tower of the church of S. Pietro e Paolo rises into the sky over the town between the Casa Serodine and the town hall (Municipio). The church icon that has grown through the centuries not only holds some of the most beautiful religious works of the famous local painter Giovanni Serodine who died in the faraway Rome. In a glass shrine, the head of a man, the Chiesa Madre now prays to as one of its saints, is kept as a sacred relic.
Beato Pietro Berno was supposedly born in 1553 in the then hardly-known town of Ascona as the son of simple craftspeople. Even then, in Rome housed a considerable colony of emigrated Asconese. As an early missionary, Beato Berno took a ship to Lisbon on 4th April 1579 and arrived on 8th October of the same year to Goa, at this time the capital city of Portuguese India, with his brothers in the faith. After the arrival, Berno immediately joined the mission managed by the Jesuits and Dominicans. Only a few days later, Berno and his friars fell victims to a fanatic crowd on 13th July 1583.
Briefly, after the news of his death reached Ascona, the now-legendary spiritual emigrant was revered as a kind of local saint in his home town. It was only three hundred years later, however, that Pope Leo signed the church documents declaring Ascona’s son to one of the highest martyrs of the faith on 13th November 1892.
In any case, the religious history of Ascona would be unthinkable without the names of Papio and Berno and would be lacking many aspects of an active people’s piety.
The hotel Casa Berno was built  between 1961 and 1962 and  it was initially opened as a senior’s residence. After one year, it was converted into a hotel. It underwent several expansions and renovations and it has since then been operated as the Hotel Casa Berno.
The hotel is a business- and profit-oriented company. The acquired revenue is mostly used to support social projects of the foundation.