Lugano Travel Guide
Lying just 30 miles from Milan, the Ticino Lake resort of Lugano has a certain Italian atmosphere. Third after Zürich and Geneva as a Swiss banking centre, it is also a pretty holiday destination boasting ancient churches and excellent art galleries, as well as, of course, a stunning lake.
The lake is the perfect place to take pleasant strolls each day, but Lugano has a lot more on offer. The nearby green park, Parco Civico, is home to the Palazzo dei Congressi (convention centre), the top quality Villa Ciani Art Museum and a casino. The Villa Favorita contains an extremely impressive private art collection - the second most valuable in the world after Queen Elizabeth's.
Tourist Attractions Around Lugano
Situated in the old town, the Cattedrale di San Lorenzo boasts a stunning Baroque interior as well as some magnificent Renaissance doorways. The Swiss miniature village is a great place for children, and frescoes by Bernard Luini can be found at the church, the Chiesa di Santa Maria degli Angeli.
Those who love to shop will find Lugano to be a haven of shopping complexes and there is a huge selection of good quality restaurants, bars and cafés Casino Lugaon is a popular evening destination and houses two restaurants and five bars for those who tire of gambling. Just a 20-minute ferry journey away from Lugano is the Casino Municipale, which sits in the Italian town of Campione, totally surrounded by Switzerland.
More adventurous tourists will find that the lake offers opportunities for many water sports such as scuba diving, water skiing, boating and windsurfing. Even just a swim in the clear waters is a pleasant experience.
Museums and Castles Around Lugano
Two miles out of Lugano sits the Museum of Extra-European Cultures, housed in the Villa Heleneum. An impressive array of historical objects from Africa, Indonesia and Oceana can be found here. A fabulous copy of the masterpiece The Last Supper, by Leonardo da Vinci, can be seen at a parish church in nearby Ponte Capriasca. Ponte di Valle and Dino are quaint little villages well worth a look.
Twenty miles to the north of Lugano is Bellinzona with its three incredible castles, and an excellent and popular Saturday market. Fashion capital Milan is just over thirty miles away in Italy and the city of Zürich is also easily reached by train or car.
It is a good idea to take out travel insurance, despite Switzerland's safe reputation. Emergency medical treatment can be expensive, but if you are sufficiently covered it means that you can relax while on holiday. The risk of theft or violent crime is low in Lugano, but that does not mean it is not happen.
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