Les meilleurs hôtels à Lugano

Add a touch of the Mediterranean to Switzerland and you've got a sense of Lugano and the Canton of Ticino. This is Italian Switzerland, where food, language and weather are all flavored with Italy. Ticino is the only canton in Switzerland that is south of the Alps. It is milder than the rest of the country, feeling a bit more like Tuscany than Switzerland. Lugano sits on the shores of Lake Lugano and is surrounded by the forested gentle foothills of the Alps. People come to walk in the hills, swim and sail in the lake, and relax. Nearby Lake Maggiore is known best for the swanky, resort town of Ascona, but its neighbor Lucarno is also worth a visit. Outside of town, you can climb to the Madonna del Sasso, a 15th-century sanctuary honoring the Virgin (it is Italian Switzerland, afterall). The perch affords a terrific view of the lake. Each year, Lucarno hosts a film festival, which its boosters say ranks fourth in international importance (after Cannes, Venice and Berlin). Some consider it one of the country's biggest events. If it's outdoor pursuits you're after, you'll find them here. Bungee jumping is in -- perhaps owing to James Bond, who leapt from a dam on the Verzasca River in the film Goldeneye. The area's hills were host to the World Cycling Championships in 1996, and in the winter, people come to downhill and cross country ski.