Ticino
This pretty village sits surrounded by woods at the head of Val Lavizzara. From here the road leads to the dam holding back the emerald Lago Sambuco, from…
Must-see attractions in Ticino
Lugano
Porticoed lanes weave around Lugano's busy main square, which is presided over by the 1844 neoclassical Municipio (town hall) and is even more lively when…
Lugano
Lugano’s early-16th-century cathedral conceals some fine frescos and ornate baroque statues behind its Renaissance facade. Out the front are far-reaching…
Ticino
Housed in a handsome 19th-century villa, this gallery presents mostly local and northern Italian works of the 19th and 20th centuries. Just as appealing…
Ticino
Dwarfed by the scale of the mountains and forests rising above it, the close-knit hamlet of Gresso, with a population of just 30, is scenically perched at…
Locarno
Time your visit to catch one of the impressive displays of falconry here – they take place at 11am in the morning and 3pm in the afternoon. Birds showing…
Ticino
The heritage of Valais immigrants is explored in the artefacts on display at the stone-and-wood Walserhaus, which provides snapshots of a more rural way…
Chiesa di San Giovanni Battista
Ticino
The centrepiece of Mogno is this extraordinary 1996 cylindrical church designed by Mario Botta. The grey (Maggia granite) and white (marble from Peccia)…
Chiesa di Santa Maria delle Grazie
Ticino
This 15th-century church has an extraordinary fresco cycle (recently restored after being damaged by fire in 1996) of the life and death of Christ. The…
Lugano
At Swissminiatur you’ll find 1:25 scale models of more than 120 national attractions. It’s the quick way to see Switzerland in a day. Trains run twice…
Locarno
Guarded by a giant bas-relief St Christopher with disproportionately tiny feet, the baroque-gone-mad, 17th-century Chiesa Nuova has cherubs and stucco…
Ticino
Bellinzona’s restored Renaissance town hall is worth a peek for its beautiful three-storey inner courtyard of loggias and frescoes showing historic scenes…
Lago di Lugano
The 12-storey casino, converted by Lugano’s favourite architect, Mario Botta, into Europe’s biggest in 2005, does a brisk business. Smart dress is…
Lugano
Like an abstract work of art, a cherry tree graces the roof of this pink-brick, cubic edifice, the handiwork of much-lauded Ticinese architect Mario Botta.
Chiesa Collegiata dei SS Pietro e Stefano
Ticino
Light streams through the rose window above the portal in this Renaissance church, lavishly adorned with frescoes and baroque stucco.
Ticino
This cobblestone square is framed by graceful 18th-century patrician houses, many with decorative wrought-iron balconies.
Locarno
Wander among fragrant camellia blooms in spring at these pretty lakefront gardens. The park is home to 850 varieties.
Ticino
The late 19th century saw the arrival of ‘back to nature’ utopians, anarchists and sexual libertarians from northern Europe in Ascona. Their aspirations…
Ticino
The Collegio Papio, now a high school, boasts a fine Lombard courtyard and includes the 15th-century Chiesa Santa Maria della Misericordia, with medieval…
Lugano
Bearing the hallmark of famous Ticinese architect Mario Botta, this striking cluster of buildings was formerly known as the Banca del Gottardo.
Ticino
This ochre-hued church is noteworthy for its huge fresco of St Christopher and a smaller one of the Virgin Mary and Christ.
Locarno
Standing proud on a fountain-dotted square, this church is best known for its altar to the Cristo Morto (Dead Christ).
