HT Home / Blogs Home > Footloose / Travel / The first Swiss city I found myself in was Lugano in the Ticino canton

It’s right in the south, bordering Italy, in the Italian speaking part of country. The city sits at the edge of the lake, sprawling down a hillside. There’s a funicular that takes you up from the lakeside to the main station. By the side of the lake there’s a beautiful tree-lined walks, small jetties with deck chairs and little cafes. Out on the lake, even in the tail end of summer, there were a few people out on their boats, some sailing others trying their luck with their fishing rods.

At the Piazza della Riforma, the main square of the city, I truly felt I was in Europe. At six in the evening, I sat there nibbling a parma ham pizza, washed down with a glass of the Ticino merlot, watching dog-owners chat as their pets smelt each other, a girl in a yellow dress shrieking with laughter as her father chased her across the square, kids on cycles, a black pigeon and a white, hobnobbing quietly, and people out for a stroll in the evening sun.

It was Europe, alright.

There were flowers in every window and balcony, and unexpected glimpses of the lake as you walked a round a corner or crossed a breach between buildings. At some places in the old town the edges of buildings were several feet apart, in others, they’d come so close together that a car could not go through.

It was a pretty little town that I would have loved to spend more time in. But our days were planned. I was one of 150 journalists from around the world who’d been flown in and it was good fun to meet such a variety of people. Some, like me, were in Switzerland for the first time, but others were veterans on their fifth or sixth trip. The entire bunch spent two days together in Lugano before parting ways to go on our separate journeys across the country.

Given the large number of people, our means were all pre-set – four or even five courses following one after another – just tasting everything meant you’d overeaten! Since we were in the Italian part, the food included a lot of meaty stews and risottos. There was a divine veal stew that I can still taste if I shut my eyes and concentrate really hard.

But the weather was nuts! When we were in Lugano, it was warm and muggy, almost like Bombay except with half the amount of moisture in the air. I was really tickled every time one of the Swiss complained about the. When we went up to Monte Generoso, on the other hand, the air turned cold and dry and there were clouds everywhere, denying us our view of the Alps.

But somehow, the erratic weather helped make the place more real for me. Other wise everything was just way too postcard perfect!

Scroll down for the photos. For still more, visit my Flickr stream at www.flickr.com/photos/nehadara

In other news, I have to tell you that this is my last post on the blog. You can stay in touch with me on twitter (@nehadara) or follow my travels on nehadara.wordpress.com

The beautiful Piazza della Reforma with its profusion of flowers.

There were plenty of joggers out for an evening workout on this tree-lined walk by Lake Lugano.

Turn around a corner in Lugano, and suddenly you’ll find yourself before a beautiful vista of roofs and lake.

Lugano is a beautiful town for just walking around and soaking in its easy pace.

On Lake Lugano, on our way to Monte Generoso.

Suddenly in the middle of the village you see the ugly monstrosity that’s the Casino Municipale, built taking advantage of the fact that the village belongs to Italy and is not subject to Swiss laws.

Our grand welcome to Monte Generoso with the alphorns.

Here you can see almost all of the 150 journalists who’d come for the trip, hiking up to the peak.

After the hiking, comes the food!

After the hiking, comes the food!

( Pics by Neha Dara )

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