Gandria is nestled into the crook between steep Mt. Brè and Lake Lugano. The glacier that formed this part of the lake dug so deep that the lake waters were at one time below sea level. We wandered the crooked, narrow paths and wondered what it would be like to live here, in such a […]
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Cattedrale di San Lorenzo, or Saint Lawrence Cathedral
Cattedrale di San Lorenzo sits partway up Lugano’s steep hillside and offers sweeping views of Lake Lugano. Unfortunately, it is currently undergoing major renovations and only a small portion is accessible. The original church was founded in the early Middle Ages. It became a parish church in the 9th century and a cathedral in the […]
Chiesa di Santa Maria degli Angioli, or Saint Mary of the Angels
This Romanesque-style church looks plain from the outside, but step inside and you’ll be wowed by the frescos painted by the Italian Renaissance artist Bernardino Luini. The main draw is the elaborate crucifixion scene. Luini’s Last Supper is depicted on the side wall. It is divided into three panels because it had originally been on […]
Hotel Gabbani, Lugano, Switzerland
My husband and I like staying at boutique hotels to get some local flavor, and family-owned Hotel Gabbani serves it up in a literal way. The Gabbanis have been a Lugano fixture since 1937, selling gourmet, mostly local, food products. The hotel is above the cheese shop/wine shop/bakery/café, Bottega del Formaggio, which is across from […]
Lugano
Lugano’s naturally beautiful setting – vast Lake Lugano surrounded by soaring mountains, manicured gardens, a winding lakeside promenade – is startlingly perfect. Lugano is a luxe, small city. With 50,000 residents, it is the largest city in Switzerland’s Ticino canton and Switzerland’s third-largest banking city, after Geneva and Zürich. Lugano’s real draw is its accessibility […]
