Lugano

Lugano (Italian: Lugano) is a city in southern Switzerland, in the Italian-speaking canton of Ticino, which borders Italy. The population of the city proper was 71.500, and the population of the urban agglomeration was over 145,000. It is the 9th largest city of Switzerland by population, the largest city in Ticino, and the largest city with an Italian speaking population in majority outside Italy. The city lies on Lake Lugano, surrounded by the mountains of the Lugano Prealps. Its warm summers and the fact that in recent years it has attracted an ever growing number of celebrities, entertainers, and successful athletes to visit this place have earned for itself the nickname of the “Monte Carlo of Switzerland”.

The shores of Lake Lugano have been inhabited since the Stone Age. Within the modern city limits including Breganzona, Castagnola, Davesco and Gandria a vast number of ground gravels or quern-stones have been discovered. Whereas in the area adjacent to Lugano, matters from the Copper Age and the Iron Age have been discovered too. There are Etruscan cenotaphs at Davesco-Soragno of 5th to 2nd century BC, Pregassona of 3rd to 2nd century BC, and Viganello of 3rd to 2nd century BC. Graves with ornaments and household stuffs have been off late in Aldesago, Davesco, Pazzallo and Pregassona along with Celtic money in Viganello. It is assumed that the region around Lake Lugano was established by the Romans by the 1st century BC. There was an important Roman city north of Lugano at Bioggio. There are rarer traces of the Romans in Lugano, but several engravings, graves and coins indicate that some Romans lived in what would become Lugano.

Lugano, the largest town in the holiday region of Ticino, is not only Switzerland’s third most important financial center and a conference, banking and business center, but also a town of parks and flowers, villas and sacred buildings. With Mediterranean flair, Lugano offers all the advantages of a world-class city, combined with the cachet of a small town.

An amazing Lake Lugano is Ticino’s 5 star charm, and travelers can appreciate it in various courses: visit on one of the white steamers, lease a watercraft to cruise all alone, or pick any of the many mountains or shore view points and look at it. Lugano is the biggest and most imperative town in Ticino; its excellence and dazzling setting make it one of Switzerland’s most well-known occasion resorts. The engineering, vegetation, and lifestyle mirror the area’s Italian legacy and atmosphere. Lugano is not the region’s only lake. The northern end of Lake Maggiore stretches out from Italy into the Swiss Ticino, and at its top lies Locarno, its estates and gardens transcending the lake. Locarno and close-by Ascona are associated with Italian lake towns by customary pontoon services and by a shore-embracing street.

One of the most popular place to be in Lugano is the Monte San Salvatore. In spite of the fact that its height is just 912 meters, Monte San Salvatore’s summit offers a standout amongst the most wonderful and all-encompassing vistas in the whole Alps. Beneath you can see Lake Lugano as it weaves its roundabout path among the precarious, lush slants that wall it in. The red tile tops of Lugano disseminate over the town’s slopes, and different towns group around the shore. Walk out on the lake and town to discover an ocean of elevated tops extending to the skyline, delegated by Monta Rosa and the Valais Alps. You can climb Monte San Salvatore, however most travelers favor the 10-minute ride on the red funicular from Lugano’s lakeshore station of Paradiso. At the upper station, you can easily discover an eating spot, viewing platform, and strolling trails driving down to Carona, Melide, Morcote, and Figino. You can come back to Lugano from any of these by rail, postal transport, or through boat.

Lugano’s Lakeside Parks and Promenade is a one sure shot visit that attracts quite a number of people throughout the year. Roomy green parks fringe the lake at the northern end of Lugano, shaded by trees and lit up by bloom gardens. Encompassed by the admired trees and subtropical plants of the Parco Municipal is the Palazzo dei Congress convention center and the 1843 Villa Ciani, which houses authentic and workmanship accumulations. The long lakeside promenade takes after the shore for the whole length of Lugano toward the southernmost pontoon arriving at Paradiso. In spots, it enlarges to stop measurements with subtropical greenery enclosures and contemporary sculptures coating the walkway. Confronting it are recognized old structures, including the eighteenth century Palazzo Riva. From each point on the promenade are postcard perspectives of the lake, encircled by the encompassing mountains.

The San Grato Botanical Park lies between Monte San Salvatore and Monte Arbostora, about 10 km from Lugano and extends to 690 m S/m, with an exceptional landscape across the immediate surroundings over the peaks of the alpine chain. The entire park with its 62’000 square meters, hosts the major and most varied collection of azaleas, rhododendrons and conifers in the entire region. During the months of April and May the azaleas and rhododendrons form a highly colored and perfumed carpet.

Bellinzona is another top sightseeing location in Lugano. Bellinzona’s three castles are listed as UNESCO World Heritage sites and are well worth discovering. Bellinzona was an important stronghold as the meeting point of three important north-south routes over the alpine passes of St. Gotthard, San Bernardino, and Lucomagno. All three could, in the past, be closed by a barrier across the road at Bellinzona, giving it a strategic position for centuries. The three castles that still control the town are among the most important examples of medieval defensive architecture in the Alps. These, along with a double circuit of walls, were built or strengthened by Milanese rulers in the second half of the 15th century. The oldest, Castelgrande, was constructed above the town center over a Roman castle. Castello di Montebello stretches along a hillside on the east side of Bellinzona and is the most interesting example of the art of fortification, built from the 13th to 15th centuries. The square-shaped Castello di Sasso Corbaro was built in an exceptional timeframe of less than six months in 1479 to reinforce the defenses of the valley after a clash. Today, the castles are a home to various museums covering history, art, archaeology, and local costumes. The old town is worth exploring as well, for its beautiful Italian-style town houses and the magnificent wall paintings by 16th-century Lombard artists in the former Franciscan church Sta Maria delle Grazie.