Lugano, the Swiss-Italian Lake
Mountains of Switzerland and Italy Drop into Lago di Lugano
Oct 11, 2008
Reflecting the snowcapped peaks and green-clad Italian and Swiss mountainsides around it, Lake Lugano presents a post-card perfect scene from any angle. Viewed from the lakeside promenades and parks of the small city of Lugano, from the terraces of smart hotels on the hillsides above, from the tiny villages that cling to the steep shore or from a boat that connects these shore towns in Italy and Switzerland, it’s pure eye candy.
Lugano, sitting handily on the main train line connecting Milan to Zurich, spreads elegantly around the curve of the lake’s western end, caught in the hollow between Monte Salvatore and Monte Bre. Tops of both mountains can be reached from the city by funiculars, and each offers views of layer after layer of snow-capped Alps and Dolomites.
Lugano’s compact center rises from the main square at the shore, near the boat landing, in a series of steep streets. Its buildings are elegant and represent several centuries of architecture. Belle Epoch hotels face the water and farther back are contemporary buildings designed by Mario Botta, who was born in a nearby village. (It was the village priest who raised the money to send him to study in Venice, where he worked with the greats of modern architecture.)
Also facing the lake is the 15th-century church of Santa Maria degli Angioli, with an outstanding full wall of frescoes by Bernardino Luini, depicting the Crucifixion. On a side wall is his Last Supper, moved from the former monastery that sat next door.
Smart shops line adjacent Via Nassa, the arcaded main shopping street that parallels the lakefront, selling Italian designer labels along with pricey Swiss watches. Another street (all these are pedestrian only) is lined with all things food – a café, stalls selling fresh fruits, vegetables and mushrooms, a chocolate shop, a salumaria redolent of fine cured meats and prepared foods, a bakery and a cheese shop.
Heading uphill steeply, beside the funicular that carries passengers to the rail station high above, is a street of small boutiques, vintage clothing shops and antique stores. It leads to an upper terrace backed by the cathedral, a venerable church with traces of its medieval frescoes and of each era of its long history.
A promenade traces the shore, turning into a wide walking path that hugs the slope of Monte Bre and unfolds view after view as it passes through the narrow streets of lakeside villages and along a foliage-draped corniche between them. Above and below are gardens, shaded by cypress, myrtle, pines, laurels and olive trees. Called the Sentiero dell’Olivo, or Olive Path, it leads to the compact village of Gandria.
Gandria’s houses are glued to each other and to the steep hillside, connected by narrow streets, stairways and passages. The lake steamers land there, discharging passengers who disperse into restaurants that overlook the water, or who set off to explore the Olive Path.
Both Gandria and Lugano are in the Italian-speaking Swiss canton of Ticino, but just beyond Gandria the lake enters Italy. At its far eastern end is a delta and the small Italian city of Porlezza. Opposite Lugano is Campione d’Italia, an Italian town completely surrounded by Switzerland.
Lugano makes a good base for exploring the lake, with plenty of hotels and restaurants. At the lakefront, beside the church of Santa Maria degli Angioli, is the family-run Hotel International du Lac, and high on the hillside behind town, Villa Principe Leopoldo Hotel offers far-reaching views from its terrace and gardens.
