Explore Lugano

Parco Ciani is a public park in Lugano, stretching along the lakeshore from the old town to the mouth of the Cassarate river. It takes its name from the Ciani brothers, who built the neoclassical Villa Ciani here in 1840–1843, and became a municipal park in 1912; paths lead past old trees, flowerbeds, statues and the villa, now used for exhibitions.

Lugano Cathedral, dedicated to Saint Lawrence, stands on a terrace above the old town and is the seat of the Bishop of Lugano. A church is recorded on the site from 818; the present building dates largely from the late 15th century, and its Renaissance façade of white stone, completed in 1517, has carved portals and a large rose window.

Santa Maria degli Angioli is a church on Piazza Luini by the lakefront, built from 1499 for a Franciscan friary and consecrated in 1515. Inside, the screen wall between the nave and the choir is covered by Bernardino Luini's large fresco of the Passion and Crucifixion of Christ, begun in 1529, and side chapels hold further Renaissance frescoes.

LAC Lugano Arte e Cultura is a cultural centre on the lakefront, designed by the Ticino architect Ivano Gianola and opened in 2015. It houses the Museo d'arte della Svizzera italiana (MASI), which shows its collection and temporary exhibitions on three floors, and a hall of about 1,000 seats for theatre, dance and concerts by the Orchestra della Svizzera italiana.

Monte Brè is a mountain on the eastern edge of Lugano, rising above the lake and the Cassarate district. A funicular in two sections, first opened in 1908, climbs 1.6 km from Cassarate to the summit station at 915 m; from the top, paths lead to the village of Brè with its outdoor artworks and the Wilhelm Schmid Museum.

Monte San Salvatore is a 912 m mountain rising above Lake Lugano south of the city centre. A funicular built in 1890 climbs from Lugano-Paradiso to the summit in about 12 minutes, with a change of car halfway at Pazzallo; at the top are a church, a restaurant, a small museum on the mountain's history and a lookout over the lake.

Swissminiatur is an open-air park in Melide on Lake Lugano, opened in 1959, that shows Switzerland in miniature. More than 130 handmade models of buildings, castles, churches and monuments at a scale of 1:25 stand among flowerbeds, while 18 model trains run on about 3.5 km of track alongside cable cars and boats.