Buongiorno Switzerland – Ticino’s Italian To A ‘T’

YOU are in Switzerland you keep telling yourself as you shop for prosciutto and parmegiano on your passeggiata along Lugano’s gourmet street, the Via Pessina. Along the lake in a very Mediterranean feeling Morcote village, the two nuns sharing a (non-alcoholic) aperitivo at a pavement table do nothing to dispel the sheer Dolce Vita of it all. Even the weather is a few degrees warmer.

'The walk became easier, a saunter through pastures filled with horses grazing. The villages dotted around are uniformly lovely, painted with pastel shades and ingenious trompe l’oeil effects'

Welcome to Ticino, the Italian-speaking Canton, welcome to its deep south, indeed, where Mama Italia wraps this extended Swiss isthmus in a mountainous embrace. Milano is only an hour south of here and it all feel as one with North Italy’s Lakes – Maggiore, Como, Iseo and the rest.

The View of Lugano from my my bedroom at the Kurhaus; below

Lake Lugano loses nothing in the comparison. There are countless vantage points to gaze down on its shimmering blue waters – I was further blessed because it was the default view from the balcony of my room at the Kurhaus Cademario. Locazione, locazione, locazione, as they say round here.

Serving the drinks on the Kurhaus terrace

No expense has been spared to transform this century-old TB sanatorium, high (at 850 metres) above Lugano, into an 82-room hotel and seriously well-equipped spa facilities. Open just a year, and despite a canny conversion that respects its heritage, on first acquaintance the Kurhaus all feels slightly unreal. Then the energy and warmth of husband and wife management team Rafaela and Peter Hoeck Domig kicks in. Glasses of the local speciality, Merlot, on the terrace help us to feel molto bene. This is very much a summer destination – this is far from Swiss ski territory.

Kurhaus Spa pool; below, vintage health seekers on a hotel wall

The huge draw at this hotel is the 2,200 sq.m DOT.Spa wellness centre and pools (there is an outdoor sun-trap pool, too, in the extensive gardens). I didn’t partake of the numerous treatments available, but was oddly transfixed by the philosophy behind it:

“Our forefathers gained extensive experience in sensing energy, power structures and places of exceptional intensity. One such example are churches, which are often based in such centres of energy. Our DOT.Spa is also based in a special location with charisma. It has been planned in accordance with geomantic criteria and all of the five elements have been integrated.  Waterfalls and cascades represent the element of water, weathered trunks and beech timber symbolise wood, warming fireplaces and flickering candles encompass fire, tuff and stone walls embody the earth and mineral resources such as iron and copper represent metal.”

Cutting edge Kurhaus dining space; below a copious octopus starter

There is a similar attention to detail with the (primarily Italian and regional) food in their fine dining restaurant, La Cucina. It’s all a far cry from the 1920s heyday of the Kurhaus as a sanatorium with its revolutionary for then diet of salt-free, steamed vegetables and raw fruit. Today’s hotel spa is respecting that heritage with a gluten-free, allergy sensitive menu using local products. The healthiest thing I managed during my stay was a gorgeous mountain and lake walk, led by private guide Anna Bezzola. We cheated a bit by using the vintage funicular to reach our starting point, the 912m high San Salvatore,  topped by the church of that name, the 360° views from which are stupendous.

On our Ceresio walk – ancient manor house and village charm

From there we plunged down into the chestnut forests  of the Ceresio peninsula. Ceresio is the old Latin name for the whole area and means ‘land of the cherries’. It is certainly a fruitful year-round destination for hikers and cyclists with abundant trails.

The steep, stony paths were fortunately dry that day, but still we were glad of our hiking boots. We picnicked by the locked-up 17th century Sanctuary of Madonna d'Ongero, disappointed not to see at close quarters the Baroque frescoes glanced through a window. The walk became easier, a saunter through pastures filled with horses grazing. The villages dotted around are uniformly lovely, painted with pastel shades and ingenious trompe l’oeil effects.

Nuns chill out at a Morcote lakeside cafe

Our destination, Morcote, 10km from Lugano city, is at the tip of a peninsula around which the 49 sq.km lake does a complete U-turn. The handsome waterfront hamlet deserves an afternoon’s exploration of its narrow alleys, arcades and gardens, culminating in an ascent of the 404 steps leading up to the impressive Renaissance Baroque church of Santa Maria del Sasso. Deceptively affluent, it deserves its sobriquet, the Pearl of Ceresio.

Our boat leaves Morcote, ahead, a wonderful trip

 Once a fishing village, it is now a mecca both for watersports and mere mooching. We took the regular boat back to Lugano, a bustling financial centre, but one with some lovely architecture, parks (notably the sub-tropical Belvedere Gardens) and a Latin heartbeat. Sample the wares of Emporio Armani and Louis Vuitton along the fashionista drag Via Nassa and you could be in Milan. Which is where we came in. Ciao. 

Lugano waterfront – our journey's end

An alternative panorama
Take the other funicular up to San Salvatore’s rival peak, Monte Brè, to the east of the 60,000 population city, which looks particularly twinkly from here at dusk. 

Music is in the air
We were there in September when the free Blues To Bop Festival scattered acts across the streets and squares. April sees the Lugano Festival, in the Congress Centre, which has in the past hosted the likes of Daniel Barenboim and Cecilia Bartoli, while Estival Jazz dominates July. 

Best day trip from Lugano: Bellinzona
30 minutes north by trail, this laidback town, surrounded by the verdant Alto Ticino countryside, boasts a trio of amazing medieval castles, Castelgrande, Montebello and Sasso Corbaro that together comprise a Unesco World Heritage Site. Go on a Saturday for its excellent market; go in for February (12-17 in 2015) for its carnival known as the Rabadan, which features a huge, masked parade. Very Italian!

Ham and cheese in Lugano's food-centric emporia