Stresa

Lugano is located in Ticino on Lake Lugano near the Italian border, framed by its local mountains Monte Brè and Monte San Salvatore. Italian language, lakeside promenades with palm trees, and panoramic mountains directly above the city define the stay.On the shore lies Parco Ciani with the neoclassical Villa Ciani, and further along the promenade, the 2015 LAC cultural center with its concert hall and the MASI art museum. In the old town stands the Cathedral of San Lorenzo with its Renaissance facade. A funicular ascends the 912-meter-high Monte San Salvatore from the Paradiso district, and another to Monte Brè from Cassarate. The village of Gandria lies on the lakeshore east of the city.

The former fishing village clings to Monte Brè's slope directly above Lake Lugano, now part of Lugano. Stairs and narrow alleyways connect the houses; lakeside restaurants line the water. Reach Gandria by ferry or on foot via the Olive Trail.

Ticino, south of the Gotthard, is Switzerland's Italian-speaking canton. Here lie Lugano on Lake Lugano and Locarno on Lake Maggiore; Switzerland shares both lakes with Italy.Palm trees along the lakeside promenades, stone villages in the valleys, and panoramic mountains like Monte San Salvatore define the region. You can reach it from Zurich by train through the Gotthard.

Lake Como, shaped like an inverted Y, is one of the most striking pre-Alpine lakes and, at over 400 metres, one of Europe's deepest. Steep, wooded shores, terraced-garden villas and villages like Bellagio, Varenna, Tremezzo set the scene.

Bellagio is located at the tip of the peninsula, where Lake Como divides into the arms of Como and Lecco. Staircase alleys lead from the shore up to the small old town; south and above the village lie the parks of Villas Melzi and Serbelloni.