Hello, choosing Lugano as a destination for a New Year's Eve might seem too risky a choice, a place that, even in my own expectations, wouldn't have left a mark on my traveller's CV. I have to say that wasn't the case; true, perhaps what we spent would have allowed us to choose better, but when there's a desire to travel and seek out new settings and experiences, what is better? Well, Lugano presents itself as a very peaceful little town, like all of Switzerland, on its lake and among mountains, not very high, that nonetheless unexpectedly appear to our eyes covered in snow. The shops close at 5.30 pm and the streets, small but full of character, become deserted. Then the atmosphere settles in, like a miniature city, which you can easily walk around in under an hour, among jewellers' windows, banks that look like boutiques and fashionable restaurants packed to the brim.
Shopping is prohibitive, but what surprises us is that all basic necessities are very expensive, restaurants included, whereas all luxury items — jewellery, various objects, watches — you find at prices certainly lower than in Italy and even, at times, on special offer at prices cut by as much as 70% compared with home. A practical example: we found diamonds on special offer at 50% off.
But we hadn't come to shop, so during the day we go to Bellinzona to see the famous castles — beautiful, immaculately kept, spotless and free — while the return ticket to Bellinzona costs about 15 euros for a half-hour train ride; we walk around the lake (unfortunately at this time of year the lake cruises are suspended) and have dinner in full-of-character restaurants serving Ticino cuisine but so close to ours: on that note I'd like to mention the only restaurant where the prices are affordable and the cooking is truly excellent and full of character, La Tinera. The hotel we stayed at is the Montarina, which also serves as a hostel, very clean, tidy, but needless to say, and with a beautiful park with a pool, rich in vegetation including many, many palms, which incredibly we saw covered in snow, a very strange effect.
The hotel is in a slightly hilly area, five minutes on foot from the centre, if you don't want to take the funicular — 80 cents a ride for about 30 seconds of travel — it's behind the station and has a great view. Finally, I'd also like to mention that on New Year's Eve in Piazza Riforma, the centre of the town, they organise a truly evocative party, with a sea of people, especially young people, disco music and lots and lots of life through the streets and alleys all night long — in short, truly surprising!!!!
Day 126 Dec 2005
Hi, choosing Lugano as a destination to spend New Year's Eve may seem like too risky a choice, a place that, even in my expectations, wouldn't leave a mark on my traveler's résumé. I must say that wasn't the case; sure, maybe what we spent would have allowed us to choose something better, but when there's a desire to travel and seek out new scenery and experiences, what is "better"? Well, Lugano presents itself as a very quiet little town, like all of Switzerland, on its lake and among mountains, not very high, that nonetheless unexpectedly appear before our eyes covered in snow. The shops close at 5:30 pm and the streets, small but full of character, become deserted.
Then the atmosphere settles in, like a miniature city that you can stroll around on foot without a care, in less than an hour, among jewelry shop windows, banks that look like boutiques and trendy restaurants packed like sardines. Shopping is prohibitive, but what surprises us is that all basic necessities are extremely expensive, including restaurants, while all luxury items, jewelry, various objects, watches, you find at prices definitely lower than in Italy and even, sometimes, on special offer at prices reduced by as much as 70% compared to ours. A practical example is the fact that we found diamonds on special offer at 50%.
But we didn't come here to shop, so during the day we go to Bellinzona to see the famous castles, beautiful, impeccably kept, spotless and free, while the round-trip ticket to Bellinzona costs about 15 euros for half an hour by train; we walk around the lake (unfortunately at this time of year lake cruises are suspended) and have dinner inCharacteristic restaurants, serving Ticinese cuisine but so close to ours: in this regard I'd like to mention the only restaurant where prices are affordable and the cuisine is truly excellent and full of character, La Tinera. The hotel where we stayed is the Montarina, which also serves as a hostel, very clean, tidy, but needless to say, and with a beautiful park with a pool and lots of vegetation including many, many palms, which incredibly we saw covered in snow, a very strange effect.
The hotel is in a slightly hilly area, a five-minute walk from the center, if you don't want to take the funicular, 80 cents per ride for about 30 seconds of travel; it's behind the station and has a great view. Finally, I'd also like to mention that on New Year's Eve in Piazza Riforma, the center of the city, they organize a truly evocative party, with a sea of people, especially young people, disco music and so much, so much life through the streets and alleys all night long, in short, truly surprising!!!!
Lugano lakefront: wrought iron railing, street lamp and mountains across the water
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