Things to do in Ticino
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Santuario della Madonna del Sasso
Overlooking the town, this sanctuary was built after the Virgin Mary supposedly appeared in a vision to a monk, Bartolomeo d'Ivrea, in 1480. There's a small museum, a church and several rather rough, near life-size statue groups (including one of the Last Supper) in niches on the stairway. The best-known painting in the church is La Fuga in Egitto (Flight to Egypt), painted in 1522 by Bramantino.
Contrasting in style are the naive votive paintings by the church entrance, where the Madonna and Child appear as ghostly apparitions in life-and-death situations.
A funicular runs every 15 minutes from the town centre past the sanctuary to Orisella, but the 20-minute walk up is …
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Pardo Bar
With its background music, scattered timber tables (a couple of computers on one) and wine and cocktails on offer, Pardo Bar attracts a relaxed and mixed crowd.
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Chiesa di Santa Maria degli Angioli
The simple Romanesque Chiesa diSanta Mariadegli Angioli, against which a now crumbling former hotel was built, contains two frescos by Bernardino Luini dating from 1529. Covering the entire wall that divides the church in two is a grand didactic illustration of the Crucifixion. The closer you look, the more scenes of Christ’s Passion are revealed, along with others of him being taken down from the cross and his resurrection. The power and vivacity of the colours are astounding. Less alive is Luini’s depiction of the Last Supper on the left wall.
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Castello Visconteo
Castello Visconteo, dating from the 15th century and named after the Visconti clan that long ruled Milan, today houses a museum with Roman and Bronze Age exhibits. Locarno is believed to have been a glass-manufacturing town in Roman times, which accounts for the strong showing of glass artefacts in the museum. This labyrinth of a castle, whose nucleus was raised around the 10th century, also hosts a small display (in Italian) on the Locarno Treaty.
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Via Pretorio 9 (Cherry Building)
The pink brick Mario Botta office block is known to locals as the Cherry Building because of the cherry tree planted on the roof. It was designed by Lugano's Mario Botta (born 1943 in Mendrisio to the south), who has made an international name for himself as a leading light in contemporary architecture. Best known for his work abroad (like San Francisco's Museum of Modern Art and the Kyobo Tower in Seoul), Botta has also left an indelible mark on and around Lugano.
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Cyrano
Try to ignore the horrendous orange building and be soothed by the crisp interior and white linen. Out of the kitchen comes a mix of local cooking with broader Swiss and Mediterranean strands. The spadellata di camoscio al ginepro e sugo di caccia con spätzli al burro e cavolo rosso alle mele (pan-cooked chamois with juniper and game sauce, butter spätzli and red cabbage with apple) is a mouth-watering autumn Swiss country feast.
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Museo Casa Anatta
The late 19th century saw the arrival of ‘back to nature’ utopians, anarchists and sexual libertarians from northern Europe in Ascona. Their aspirations and eccentricities are the subject of the Museo Casa Anatta on Monte Verità (take the small bus to Buxi from the post office; Sfr1). All sorts of characters, including Herman Hesse, dropped by to look at the goings on.
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Campione d’Italia
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 required. From noon to midnight you can take bus 39 from Lugano’s Piazza Manzoni (one-way/return Sfr6.80/13.60) to Campione d’Italia. The last return bus leaves at 12.40am, and then there’s one at 6.39am.
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Banca del Gottardo
Banca del Gottardo is a series of interconnected monoliths designed by Lugano's Mario Botta (born 1943 in Mendrisio to the south), who has made an international name for himself as a leading light in contemporary architecture. Best known for his work abroad (like San Francisco's Museum of Modern Art and the Kyobo Tower in Seoul), Botta has also left an indelible mark on and around Lugano.
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Bottegone del Vino
Favoured by the local banking brigade at lunchtime, this is a great place to taste fine local wines over a well-prepared meal. The menu changes daily and might include a filetto di rombo al vapore (steamed turbot fillet) or ravioli stuffed with fine Tuscan Chianina beef. Knowledgeable waiters fuss around the tables and are only too happy to suggest the perfect Ticino tipple.
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Museo del Cioccolato Alprose
Chomp into some cocoa culture at the Museo del Cioccolato Alprose. This is a great place to take the children or anyone with a sweet tooth. As well as getting a chocolate-coated history lesson, you can watch the sugary substance being made and enjoy a free tasting. The shop, cunningly, stays open half an hour longer. Take the Ferrovia Ponte Tresa train (Sfr7).
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San Bernardo
Head out of town for the warren of medieval alleys in Comano, where you'll discover this gourmet getaway. Opt for the summer pergola or muted designer dining room. The menu changes frequently and the emphasis is on slight twists to old recipes. The quadrotti di zucca (squares of pumpkin-filled pasta with a sweetish chestnut sauce) melt in the mouth. Take a taxi.
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Museo Hermann Hesse
In Torre Camuzzi, is the Museo Hermann Hesse. Personal objects, some of the thousands of watercolours painted by Hermann Hesse in Ticino, books and other odds and ends help re-create something of Hesse’s life. From Lugano, get the Ferrovia Ponte Tresa train to Sorengo and change for a postal bus (Sfr3.40, 20 minutes).
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Ristorante Centenario
This lakeside gem seems to have left behind a trifle of its former French-inspired snobbery but remains a top culinary address, turning out such clever dishes as filetto di vitello con cuore di cantucci alle mandorle e scaloppa di fegato d’anatra scottata (veal fillet with almond biscuit and roast duck liver).
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Al Portone
For an upmarket meal, this place remains a sure bet for gourmands. It has a lunchtime set menu (Sfr58) and a tasting feast menu at night (Sfr120). How about the filetto di manzo gratinato alle cipolle rosse di Tropea e purea di patate (steak fillet au gratin with south Italian red onions and mashed potato) ?
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L’Antica Osteria del Porto
Set back from Lugano’s sailing club, this is the place for savouring local fish and Ticinese dishes. It’s hard to resist the grigliata mista di pesci di mare e crostacei (mixed fish and shellfish grill). The terrace overlooking the Cassarate stream is pleasant, and you also have lake views.
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Antica Osteria Vacchini
Diners find no shortage of pasta, meat and fish options in this old-time eatery (with outdoor section across the lane) but the house special is piodadella della Vallamaggia, a set of three kinds of cold meats with three matching sauces, salad and fried – a filling and tasty summer option.
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Museo delle Dogane Svizzere
Across the lake from Gandria is the Museo delle Dogane Svizzere, at Cantine di Gandria, and accessible by boat. It tells the history of customs (and more interestingly smuggling) in this border area. On display are confiscated smugglers’ boats that once operated on the lake.
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Swissminiatur
Melide is a bulge of shore from which the A2 freeway slices across the lake. The main attraction is Swissminiatur, where you’ll find 1:25 scale models of more than 120 national attractions. It’s the quick way to see Switzerland in a day.
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Weber & Bläuer
One of the main shopping strips is Via Nassa, lined with purveyors of Swiss watches (what else?!), Italian fashion, cigar shops and jewellery stores. An intriguing store is the timeless Weber & Bläuer, which sells antiques and old jewellery.
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Parco Scherrer
Parco Scherrer, 400m left (west) from the boat stop, offers a bustling range of architectural styles, including copies of famous buildings and generic types (eg Temple of Nefertiti, Siamese teahouse). It’s all set in subtropical parkland.
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Café Time
For Italian-style aperitif time, Café Time, buried inside an unlikely little shopping arcade, attracts the local movers and shakers. Relax against the high-backed burgundy leather benches over a fine wine or cocktail with tasty bar snacks.
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Privilege
Downstairs from street level and easily missed, this is the most central club in town. There are a couple of separate areas, including one for smokers! With go-go girls and guys, and the occasional spurt of live music, it attracts a pretty mixed crowd.
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Bar Sport
A fairly run-of-the-mill place by day, this rough-and-tumble bar with the red-walled dance space out the back and beer garden on the side is an extremely popular hang-out with Locarno’s night owls. There are a few other bars in the immediate vicinity.
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Osteria Chiara
Tucked away on a cobbled lane, this has all the cosy feel of a grotto. Sit at granite tables beneath the pergola or at timber tables by the fireplace for chunky pasta and mostly meat dishes. From the lake follow the signs up Vicolo dei Nessi.
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