Ticino is like love – opposites attract! Palm trees and glaciers, la dolce vita and extreme sport, ancient churches and modern architecture. At the southern-most part of Switzerland, where there’s always a hint of Italy in the air, opposites fuse together in complete harmony. 

Herman Hesse, Nobel Prize Winner for Literature, once waxed lyrical about his adopted home town of Ticino: “It’s wonderfully rich and beautiful and has everything from the Alps to the South”. And he was absolutely right. Where else can hike across a glacier in the morning and nap under the palm trees in the afternoon? In the Locarno region with its Alpine hinterland this is more than possible. On the one hand, you can take a hike in the Ticino alpine world through quiet valleys and secluded villages, and on the other hand you can stroll across the lively Piazza Riforma in Lugano with its relaxed atmosphere of Mediterranean dolce vita. A trip through time from the 1,500 year old baptistry in Riva San Vitale to Mario Botta’s avant-garde chapel on Monte Tamaro takes less than 30 minutes.

Even the history of food and drink is rich and varied. Thanks to culinary influences from nearby Italy, the cucina povera – poor Ticino cuisine – has gone from meagre chestnut-flour dishes to diverse and often award-wining fare. From rustic ‘grottos’ to stylish gourmet temples, there are many delicacies to discover. The local saying goes: ‘It’s so beautiful here that at night the stars huddle closer together so they can all shine over paradise’. Over a glass of Merlot del Ticino, you’ll be hard-pressed to disagree.

Ticino is a Swiss Canton with an unusual personality. It is, in fact, the only Canton situated entirely south of the Alps. 

It is also the only Canton where Italian is the only official language. The variety and quality of the accommodation on offer, the range of products and the quality of its services make Ticino a first-class tourist region.

Ticino – a region to fall in love with.

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