Lugano has something to offer to every traveler. With its breathtaking landscapes, rich cultural heritage, crystal clear lake, long history, and many sunny days it's a perfect place for a weekend gateway.
It wasn't only the much needed sunshine for us, but we also wanted to experience a little bit of Italy in Switzerland. Ticino has a unique atmosphere which combines Italian lifestyle with Swiss organization and precision, although the traffic must be an exception as the drivers are definitely more Italian than Swiss. They don't always stop at pedestrian crossings which was a shock to us. In German speaking cantons the drivers stop when they see you approaching the crossing. You don't even need to step on the road, it is enough when you walk towards it. We had to get used to it as often they don't even slow down.
Lugano has a special dynamic that we don't find in other places in Switzerland. We arrived at night and went for a walk in the old town. There was loud music everywhere and people were standing outside, chatting and enjoying their drinks. The old town was full of young people. Even Zurich doesn't have such nightlife! However, we returned to our hotel as we had many plans for the day ahead of us.
We left the hotel early and as expected the streets were empty. We had the cobblestone streets and historic buildings all for us! Lugano is situated along the lake Lugano and stretches up on the surrounding hills. If you want to explore the old town there is some climbing to be done, but don't worry, if you don't feel like climbing you can take a funicular from the lake level to the train station which will allow you to explore the upper part of the city with no to little effort.
We decided to walk instead as we didn't want to miss any charming streets with their colorful buildings and local artisan shops. And the views are not too bad either 😊
First, we wanted to see the famous Cathedral of Saint Lawrence or Cattedrale di San Lorenzo which is located in the middle level of the city. We actually enjoyed climbing of the hill as we came across such beautiful side streets with many plants, flowers, and again those views with Monte Bré towering proudly over the city. As it was still early in the morning, the shops and restaurants were closed, but we could imagine the enchanting atmosphere of lively streets later in the day. And we also did some window shopping 😊
Autumn has arrived in Lugano as well, and we could enjoy warm colors of many trees in the city...
This building caught my attention as it's curved, and I wonder how it looks like inside. And its facade is beautiful!
A little bit above that beautifully maintained building is another one that has worn out over time. What a contrast!
And we are approaching the cathedral now...
I must say that it doesn't look very impressive, but we'll see what is hidden inside. I find it funny that the tower looks like it wasn't connected with the church. Well, maybe it isn't...
First we enjoy the views from the square in front of the cathedral before going inside. We also have to wait as there is an ongoing service right now...
Let's sit on the bench and look at the cathedral..
Cattedrale di San Lorenzo is probably the oldest church that I have ever visited as it dates back to the beginning of the 9th century. It was built to honor the martyr Saint Lawrence of Rome and it was declared as a cathedral in 1888. The renaissance facade was built in 1500-1517, and as you can see it is very well maintained. History
The facade looks as clean as new 😊 It reminds me of churches in Rome with their square front side and a tower that you can't see when you're in front of the church.
Look at the intricate detail surrounding the door...
There are two doors to the cathedral - one of them serves as the entrance and the other one as the exit. I can imagine this is practical when there are many tourists, so that they don't get in the way of each other.
Let's go inside!
The interior of the cathedral is richly decorated with wall paintings with gold as their dominant color. It all looks so bright! The centerpiece is the multicolored marble high altar which dates back to the 17th century. The light makes it pop up, so it is clear that this is the most important part of the church.
There are many paintings and frescos around the cathedral some of them more than 600 years old. Among the most precious frescos are the ones on the pillars.
The Chapel of Madonna delle Grazie was built in 1494, and personally I find it more beautiful than the main altar. My husband spent more than 10 minutes just standing there and admiring its beauty.
Some of the frescos are barely visible which makes them even more interesting to me.
The organ was added quite recently in 1908. I know it's more than 100 years ago, but in comparison with the cathedral which is older than 1200 years it is indeed a recent addition. It has 2308 pipes which is an impressive amount. Organ
And last glance of the cathedral before going back down to the city...
We took another staircase lined with buildings that seem to be younger than the buildings on the other street that we took in the morning.
Ticino has a Mediterranean climate, so it's not uncommon to see palm trees growing in the city (on the left). They would not survive the winter where we live.
And we are back down, so there won't be anymore stairs today (or so we thought).
Piazza Cioccaro was our main point in the city as it's where our hotel was, and also it seemed that all streets lead to Piazza Cioccaro, and not to Rome 😊
The car has been refurbished and serves as a food bar in summer. It is closed now, so we enjoyed delicious gnocchi and pasta inside.
The old town is also called Citta Vecchia, and this is where you find the most beautiful buildings if you don't forget to look up from time to time...
Lugano is a perfect place for culture enthusiasts who can enjoy many museums, galleries and theaters...
What I find special are the covered arched walkways from where you can peek at the buildings on the opposite side of the street. It gives such an interesting perspective.
There are even olive trees in the old town!
The archways are lined with trendy restaurants and so many plants. It doesn't rain often here, but when it does there is a lot of places where you can hide 😊
The most important square in Lugano is Piazza Riforma or the Main square. This is where the independence of canton Ticino was proclaimed in the 18th century. Its name Riforma comes from the constitutional reform.
Palazzo Civico or the Town hall also has a restaurant in one of its corners...
Today, the square is bursting with various activities during the year, such as festivals or Christmas celebrations, but in the past it witnessed many political events that led to Ticino's independence.
At first, I thought that food in these restaurants here won't be any good, but then we noticed that Italian was the most spoken language, so we had dinner at one of them and we loved it. We had such a good minestrone soup even though my husband said that mine was better 😊
And we are already at the lake side, but I will take you there another time...
Fontana Mocetti is one of the strangest fountains that I have ever seen. It was built in the 19th century, so its design is surprising to me. It didn't work when we were there, but I believe it is beautiful when it's spewing water into the air.
Next to the fountain is this period building from the second half of the 20th century. Its the only building that I saw in Lugano without colorful plaster.
The old town with colorful houses reminds me of a small town in Alsace called Colmar...
Another church that we visited was The Church of Sant’Antonio Abate or Chiesa Sant'Antonio. This church has a long and turbulent history. It was built in the 17th century and originally it was connected to a school, so it was used as a classroom. The school was destroyed in 1908 and the church was rebuilt. History
It stands on one of the streets in the old town and you can't see it unless you look for it. Don't get me wrong, it is not hidden, but it simply fits perfectly between its neighboring buildings, so you wouldn't say it's a church unless you look for it.
I was surprised to see such rough interior when we entered the church. If I didn't know better I would have thought that it was much older.
Behind the main altar is an impressive dome with partly reconstructed frescos, but I honestly couldn't see anything there...
The altar is rather small but it doesn't lack on detail. There are four types of marble used and it is also decorated with many golden details.
We attended the service in this church on Sunday, and it was a lot of fun even though we didn't understand anything. It seemed to be a special celebration with some games for kids when everyone was walking around and it didn't feel like a service at all. Pity that we don't know what it really was about...
Let's go back to the city..
As you can see the weather changed and we enjoyed the blue sky!
I love local markets and we were lucky to see one in Lugano too. It was a second hand market, and there were plenty of porcelain pieces, ceramics, paintings, books, etc. We didn't buy anything, but it was interesting to see...
This was probably my favorite moment as the colors were just perfect...
And yes, there is one more church to see, and I realized that I only took a photo at night, so well, it is what it is...
Church of Santa Maria degli Angioli looks like a simple church from outside, but we knew already what we were about to see inside. I'm sure that you will be surprised.
The church was built at the end of the 16th century and it's a true Renaissance masterpiece, so let's have a look!
When you enter the church your eyes will be immediately drawn to the ceiling which is covered in the most intricate fresco...
And then you will realize that the walls are covered in frescos too! There are more than 150 figures on the walls and the fresco is described as the most famous fresco of that period in Switzerland. The fresco is called Passion and Crucifixion and it was created by a disciple of Leonardo. Fresco
There are so many things to see in this small church that you don't even know where to look at...
My favorite part was the ceiling because of vibrant colors and the positive energy...
When we left the church I realized that it was cloudy in the morning when I took the photos from outside of the cathedral, so we walked back up the hill to see it with the blue sky as well 😊 Look at it, it is so much better!
When we finished our tour it was almost evening, so we went back to the hotel to get ready for dinner.
If you enjoy history, architecture and culture, and if you like good food then Lugano is the right place to visit for you!
Thank you for reading,
Cheers!
Martina