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LUGANO |
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| With its compact cluster of Italianate piazzas and extensive tree-lined
promenades, LUGANO is the most alluring of Ticino's lake resorts, less
touristic than Locarno but with, if anything, double the chic. Centre of
town is Piazza di Riforma , a huge café-lined square perfect for
eyeballing passers-by over a cappuccino, while Lugano's exceptionally
beautiful lake is metres away, as are the characterful steep lanes of
the old town. Through the maze northwest of Riforma, Via Cattedrale dog-legs
up to Cattedrale San Lorenzo , characterized by a fine Renaissance
portal, fragments of interior frescoes, and spectacular views from its
terrace. Also from Riforma, narrow Via Nassa - rivalling Zürich's
Bahnhofstrasse for big-name designer glitz - heads southwest to the
medieval church of Santa Maria degli Angioli , containing a stunning
wall-sized fresco of the Crucifixion. A little further south is the
Museo d'Arte Moderna , Riva Caccia 5 (Tues-Sun 9am-7pm; Sfr10), with
world-class exhibitions; and a little further still is the modestly
named district of PARADISO , from where a funicular rises to San
Salvatore , a rugged rock pinnacle offering fine views of the lake and
surrounding countryside ( www.montesansalvatore.ch ). East from Riforma
along the shore on foot or with bus #1, you'll come to the gates of
Villa Favorita (Easter-Oct Fri-Sun 10am-5pm; Sfr10), home to part of the
great Thyssen-Bornemisza art collection. On display is a high-quality
selection of modernist works by European and American painters, many of
them relative unknowns but all the more eye-opening for that - but the
setting is as impressive as the art: the villa can only be approached on
foot via a long cypress-lined path through lavishly beautiful waterside
gardens, a dreamy wander worth the entrance fee by itself. The slopes of
Monte Brè behind are home to most of Lugano's many millionaires, while a
funicular rises from the adjacent district of CASSARATE to the summit,
with bracing walks and views ( www.montebre.ch ). The best of the lake
is behind (south of) San Salvatore on the Ceresio peninsula, accessed by
boats or postbuses. Here you'll find tiny MONTAGNOLA , where the writer
Hermann Hesse lived for 43 years; his first house, Casa Camuzzi, is now
a small museum (March-Oct Tues-Sun 10am-12.30pm & 2-6.30pm; Nov-Feb Sat
& Sun same times; Sfr5; tcp.ch/cultura ), with an excellent 45-minute
English film on Hesse's life in Ticino. Jewel of the lake, however, is
MORCOTE on the gorgeous southern tip of the peninsula. Tranquil stepped
lanes lead up to its photogenic church of Santa Maria del Sasso, with
striking interior frescoes and a grand vista. Several walks explore the
lush woodlands, including a trail back to San Salvatore (2hr 30min). |
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