"TICINO -SWISS MIX WITH ..." a Cantone Ticino Travel Page by robertop

First of all,why I decided to make a
special destination of Ticino,
although it is part of the Swiss Confederation.This is because Ticino looks much different from the rest of the country,in many ways as culture,food,architecture concerns,and in a certain sense it ressembles more to the Italian way of life as to the Swiss.This might be somewhat due to the great number of Italians working in the region,who
exert their influence.Although it is rather hard to differentiate between the native Swiss and the Italians coming to work there,as all speak the same language.
Ticino is a canton with great mountains,but as soon as you descend from the Alps region,this location welcomes you with mild water,with nice Lakes(Lago Maggiore shared with Italy and Lago di Lugano).the peaks of Monte Bre,San Salvadore,San Giorgio and
Monte Generoso add to the natural beauty of the region.
In Ticino you find quiet valleys ,but also big cities,much sun and vegetation.The climate is somewhat different from the other parts of Switzerland(the average temperature is here about 3 degrees C higher than in the northern part of the country.Spring begins earlier,autumn lasts longer,so vinegars can ripe better and the merlot wune here is excellent in its different varieties.

In the past,Ticino was often considered the poorer relative of the German and French cantons,but by now the cities like Lugano,Locarno,Ascona emerged from their sleeping beauty and economy is growing at good pace.
Lugano is certainly the most important city,it became a financial centre competing Zuerich and Geneva.Ticino is now probably on second place after Geneva,regarding number of cars.Many important companies are located in Lugano,that attracts more Italians coming to work in the Swiss Ticino.