Lugano is the largest town in Ticino and lies with Mediterranean flair on the lake of the same name between the viewpoint mountains Monte Br\u00e8 and Monte San Salvatore. Palm promenades, a lively old town and funiculars up the local mountains shape the scene. The lake reaches into Italy.<\/p>\n
| Lake<\/td>\n | Lake Lugano (to Italy)<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n |
| Local mountains<\/td>\n | Monte Br\u00e8, Monte San Salvatore<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n |
| Climate<\/td>\n | Mediterranean<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n |
| Region<\/td>\n | Ticino<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/table>\nPractical info<\/h2>\nGetting there:<\/strong> Train through the Gotthard Base Tunnel to Lugano.<\/p>\n Best time:<\/strong> April to October; mild climate even in spring.<\/p>\n Cost:<\/strong> City free; funiculars and boat payable (please verify).<\/p>\n Safety:<\/strong> Uncomplicated; sun protection in summer.<\/p>\n Tips:<\/strong><\/p>\n Lugano lies on the lake of the same name in Ticino and is regarded as the Mediterranean heart of Switzerland, a city in which the Italian language, southern temperament and Swiss order enter into a peculiar union. The sheltered position by the water, framed by the characteristic sugarloaf mountains of Monte Br\u00e8 and San Salvatore, gives the place an exceptionally mild climate in which palms and magnolias thrive and which lured travellers from the north here to recuperate as early as the 19th century.<\/p>\n Geologically, Lake Lugano is tied to ancient fault lines along which, millions of years ago in the early phase of Alpine formation, the rock shifted and deep basins formed, which were later further shaped by glaciers; the famous Insubric Line, one of the most significant seams of the Alps, runs very close by. The city itself preserves precious art in its churches, above all a monumental Renaissance fresco in Santa Maria degli Angioli, which ranks among the most important works of Lombardy north of the Alps. Above the lake towers the nearby Monte Generoso, from whose summit a wide view opens out as far as the Po Plain. Thus Lugano unites a southern way of life, treasures of art history and a landscape rooted in deep geological time.<\/p>\n |