"TICINO AND LUGANO" a Lugano Travel Page by worldtrekker

Ticino is the fourth largest canton in Switzerland and its official language is Italian. Ticino is not what your typical image of Switzerland would be. Usually when you think of this country your probably thinking of high snow covered peaks, alpenhorns, ski chalets, and fondue. Ticino is different and that's what makes this canton so intriguing. Did you ever think you'd see palm trees or bustling piazzas in mountainous Switzerland? Well, you will here! This area has a distinct Mediterranean flavor, with cuisine, architecture, and vegetation like that found further south in Italy. At the same time, Swiss order and efficiency pervails. Although Italian is the official language here, many people also speak French and German. English is less widely spoken than in the rest of Switzerland. I'm fluent in German so this was not a problem for me. :) This region offers mountain hikes and dramatic mountain valley's in the north; water sports and relaxed, leisurly towns in the south.
I have been to Ticino twice. The first time was just a quick drive through on a bus tour with my family in the north-west corner going over the Nufenen Pass on the border to Valais. The Nufenen Pass was beautiful by the way. I always find it a shame on these bus tours that there's never enough time to do very much outdoor stuff. Besides which I was traveling with my parents and grandmother which kind of limits things anyway.
I had wanted to see Lugano and Locarno for a very long time after seeing pictures and postcards from my grandmother's trip there. I finally had the opportunity to go in June, 2000! It was well worth the trip. I would love to explore this region further! This page is about the area around Lugano. I hope you get the chance to visit this awesome area! This photo is a postcard by R. Gimmi - I didn't go skydiving but I loved this picture!