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Gandria

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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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…

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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…