Mediterranean flair in Switzerland

Ticino is all about combining Italian lifestyle with Swiss efficiency and order and getting the best of both worlds, writes Kalpana Sunder

On the lakeside promenade in Lugano, the largest town in Ticino. PHOTOS BY AUTHOR

Parco Ciani and its peach coloured Neoclassical villa

It has a laid-back feel, a tropical ambience with palm trees and lakeside views and 2300 hours of sunshine in a year, but I am in Switzerland which most people only associate with chalets, mountain pastures and sheep. Lugano, called the Monte Carlo of Switzerland with its magnolia, palm, trees and linden lined avenues, is the largest city in Switzerland’s southernmost canton of Ticino that borders Italy. Milan is only a short train ride away. Italian speaking Lugano, with a population of 60,000, has more than 71,000 Italians who commute every day into the city to work in its offices and banks, as the salaries are much higher here than in Italy.

“We say that Ticino is all about combining Italian lifestyle and flair with Swiss efficiency and order and getting the best of both worlds,” says our local guide, Patricia Carminati. Trains and buses run with clockwork precision, but the vibe and cuisine are decidedly Italian with pastas, risottos, polenta on menus, and a tradition of aperitifs. We stroll through Old Town Lugano with its Lombardy style architecture starting at Via Nassa, one of Lugano’s historic streets, lined with upmarket designer boutiques, from jewellery and clothing to watches, under ancient arcades. The street is named after the traditional fishing nets called nassa as this used to be where the fishermen once wove them before it was transformed into townhouses for the rich. The Piazza Della Riforma is a popular public square with open-air restaurants, bars and bistros, lined by ornate buildings with wrought-iron balconies, which meanders into a network of cobblestone alleys. The lakeside promenade, or lungolago, lined with linden trees, and vendors selling roasted chestnuts, leads to the main green lungs of the city — the Parco Ciani, with a peach coloured Neoclassical villa that’s used to host events and weddings, overlooking the lake, created in 1845 by the Ciani brothers from Milan, with ancient sycamore trees, Rhododendrons and palm trees. With a Mediterranean ambience, lawns, modern art installations, statues, and red benches to lounge on, it’s a favourite with locals from dog walkers, joggers, walkers and mothers with babies in prams who pass us by. Lake Lugano, with its glacial origins, surrounded by steep mountainsides lined with chestnut trees, lies 63% in Switzerland and the rest in Italy. It’s at the heart of a lifestyle with fishing boats and yachts that sail on the waters and villages with grotto or cellar restaurants that line the shores of the lake. It harks back to when refrigeration was not there, and the warm, balmy climate needed a place for curing meat and ripening cheeses as well as ageing wine.

In the Victorian era, one part of the lake was called Paradiso as it was so picturesque, and that’s today the jumping-off point for a boat tour that we take with local boat owner and entrepreneur Gabriella Rigiani, who gives us a ringside view of the villages and towns that border the lake. Passing the Victorian-era grand hotels that line the boulevard of Lugano, we glide through the waters, passing small villages and towns. Gandria, with its pastel-coloured stone houses rising precipitously on a cliff, at the foot of Monte Bre, used to be the hamlet of fishermen in the past — today it’s one of the prettiest villages that tourists haunt. The 2 km long path from Castagnola to Gandria called the Olive Walk, was created to revive the cultivation of olives in the region and is known for its panoramic views of the countryside. A short train ride away from Lugano is Bellinzona, the capital of Ticino set along a strategic mountain pass, which was under the Dukes of Milan, who used to control the movement of goods and people from Italy to Northern Europe with three fortresses and a garrison of soldiers and horses — Castelgrande, Montebello, and Sasso Corbaro. These lofty, defensive walls, built in the Medieval ages and later expanded, were used to stop the expansion of the Swiss confederates. Today, they are on the UNESCO heritage list as they are examples of unique Alpine military architecture. We take a walk through the Old Town with the tolling of church bells in the air, passing stately mansions and grand houses built of stone, with our multilingual guide Anna Bezzola, who owns a local tour company. Ahead of us is the forbidding Castel Grande fortress which according to arrowheads found in archaeological excavations here and dated, had people living here from the Neolithic period. “The other towns in Ticino have lakes, we have our forts,” Anna says proudly. “Even today as locals build homes and dig the soil if they come across dolmens from ancient times, then it becomes a potential archaeological site. We love being Swiss but have fought for and kept our Italian language and heritage too,” says Anna. History echoes down the streets of the old town. Inside a modern sports store, Anna shows us painted wooden ceilings that date back to the 15th century, with images of animals and other symbolic motifs. In St Peter’s Square with alfresco cafes and pigeons, is the imposing Baroque Collegiate Church of St Peter and Stephen, with frescoes and stucco, built by the same architect who worked on the Cathedral in Como. My favourite building in the town is the Ca Rossa or the Red House with striking terracotta decorations on its façade, which was a decorating style popular in 19th century Milan. Close by is the lively Wednesday market with stalls selling fresh produce from the region-chestnut and linden flower honey to polenta and local liqueurs, sourdough bread and organic grappa, and ringing with the music of local musicians with their violins and throaty singing.

Our last visit in Ticino is to the vibrant town of Locarno, set on the shores of Lake Maggiore, with parks and gardens in full bloom, with palms and lemon trees. Hugging the lake is the Parco de la Camilie, with almost 1,000 different varieties of fragrant camellias. The Lido de Locarno with its public pools and outdoor thermal tubs is the centre of relaxation in the summer. The town has one of the grandest public squares that I have seen — the Piazza Grand with arcades and shuttered buildings. “This is the meeting place of the town and where markets, concerts, film screenings and festivals are held,” explains Anna. Locarno is famous for its International Film festival that’s been held in August every year for more than 70 years.

We relax on the shores of Lake Maggiore, with a walnut gelato, watching boats and swans, and the lofty Monte Rosa mountains towering on the other side. Ticino does have a way of slowing you down!