Lugano
Country Switzerland Canton Ticino District Lugano 46°00′N 8°57′E / 46°N 8.95°E / 46; 8.95Coordinates: 46°00′N 8°57′E / 46°N 8.95°E / 46; 8.95
Population	54,667 (Dec 2010)[1]
- Density	1,708 /km2 (4,425 /sq mi)
Area	32.09 km2 (12.39 sq mi)[2]
Elevation	273 m (896 ft)
Postal code	6900
SFOS number	5192
Mayor (list)	Giorgio Giudici (as of 2008) FDP/PRD/PLR
Localities	Centro, Brè-Aldesago, Besso, Loreto, Castagnola, Cassarate, Molino Nuovo, Davesco-Soragno, Pambio Noranco, Cureggia, Breganzona, Gandria, Pazzallo, Pregassona, Viganello, Barbengo, Carabbia, Villa Luganese
Surrounded by	Arogno, Bioggio, Cadro, Campione d'Italia (Italy), Canobbio, Carona, Collina d'Oro, Grancia, Lanzo d'Intelvi (Italy), Massagno, Melide, Muzzano, Paradiso, Porza, Savosa, Sorengo, Valsolda (Italy), Vezia
Website	www.lugano.ch Profile (Italian), SFSO statistics
Lugano
Location of Lugano

Lugano (Lombard: Lügàn) is a city in the south of Switzerland, in the Italian-speaking canton of Ticino, which borders Italy. The population of the city proper was 54,667 as of December 2010^[update], and the population of the urban agglomeration was over 145,000. It is the 9th largest city of Switzerland by population and the largest Italian-speaking city outside of Italy.

The city lies on Lake Lugano, and its warm summers and the fact that in recent years it has attracted an ever growing number of celebrities, entertainers and successful athletes have given it the nickname of the "Monte Carlo of Switzerland".^[3][4]

The origin of the name is possibly the Latin word Lucus, meaning wood or sacred wood, or Gaulish locovanno "lake dweller".^[5]

History[link]

Pre-History[link]

The shores of Lake Lugano have been inhabited since the Stone Age. Within the modern city limits (Breganzona, Castagnola, Davesco and Gandria) a number of ground stones or quern-stones have been found. In the area surrounding Lugano, items from the Copper Age and the Iron Age have been found.^[6] There are Etruscan monuments at Davesco-Soragno (5th to 2nd century BC), Pregassona (3rd to 2nd century BC), and Viganello (3rd to 2nd century BC). Graves with jewelry and household items have been found in Aldesago, Davesco, Pazzallo and Pregassona along with Celtic money in Viganello.

The region around Lake Lugano was settled by the Romans by the 1st century BC. There was an important Roman city north of Lugano at Bioggio.^[6] There are fewer traces of the Romans in Lugano, but several inscriptions, graves and coins indicate that some Romans lived in what would become Lugano.

Foundation of Lugano[link]

The first written mention of a settlement at Lugano can be found in documents, which are of disputed authenticity,^[7] with which the Longobard king, Liutprand, ceded various assets located in Lugano to the Church of Saint Carpophorus in Como in 724. Other documents, dating from 804 and 844 refer to Lake Lugano as Laco Luanasco, and an act of 984 indicates Lugano as a market town.^[7] In 874 the town was referred to as Luano, and in 1189 it became known by its present name. The town coat of arms also dates to around this time. The four letters on the coat of arms are an abbreviation of Lugano according to documents from 18 October 1208 and 14 November 1209.^[8] This city was also known in the German-speaking cantons as Lowens, Lauis and Lauwis.^[9]

During the fighting between Guelphs and Ghibellines and the new disputes between Como and Milan, during the 14th and 15 centuries, Lugano was the scene of clashes between opposing forces. After a long rule by the Rusca family, Lugano was freed from the domination of Como, which had been taken over in 1335 by the Visconti. At the same time the link between town and the valley strengthened. By 1405–06 documents attest to a vallis comunitas Lugani et, which was a governing body that was independent of Como. The new community included the parishs of Lugano, Agno, Riva San Vitale and Capriasca. In 1416 the Duke of Milan, Filippo Maria Visconti conquered the region of Lugano and the Rusca valley and made it a fief. A year later, Lugano's freedoms were first documented in a series of statutes modeled on those of Como. The town was able to secure complete independence.^[7]

Between 1433 and 1438 the Duke of Milan, Aloisio Sanseverino sat as a feudal lord over Lugano. He compensated the Rusca family with the ownership of Locarno. Under the reign of his heirs in the following decades rebellions and riots broke out, which lasted until the French invasion of 1499.

It was the object of continuous disputes between the Dukes of Como and Milan until it became a Swiss dominion in 1513. Swiss control lasted until 1798 when Napoleon conquered the Old Swiss Confederation and created the Helvetic Republic. Under the Helvetic Republic, Lugano became the center of the Canton of Lugano.

Canton of Lugano[link]

The canton of Lugano unified the former Landvogteien of Lugano, Mendrisio, Locarno and Valmaggia. However, as with the other cantons of the Helvetic Republic, the autonomy of Lugano was very limited, the republic having been founded by Napoleon in order further to centralise power in Switzerland. The canton was led by a Directory of five members, who appointed a "national préfet".^[10]

In 1746, the Agnelli brothers opened the first printing press and bookshop in Lugano. They began publishing the newspaper Nuove di diverse corti e paesi in 1748 and changed its name to Gazzetta di Lugano in 1797. The newspaper was widely read in north and central Italy. It supported the cause of the later Jansenists against the Jesuits and was therefore banned in 1768 in the territory of the Papal States. It was open to the themes of enlightened reform and the American Revolutionary War. It was the first newspaper in the Italian language to publish an excerpt from the Declaration of Independence of 1776. After the death of Abbot Gian Battista Agnelli in 1788, who had been the editor for more than 40 years, Abbot Giuseppe Lodovico Maria Vanelli took over the paper. Under Abbot Vanelli, it supported the revolutionary ideas from France, which drew protests from the Austrian government in Lombardy. The publication of the magazine ceased abruptly after edition number 17 of 29 April 1799, following the anti-French riots in Lugano during which the Agnelli printing house was sacked and Abbot Vanelli was shot.^[11]

The canton was deeply divided between "patriots", supporting the Cisalpine Republic, and traditionalist "aristocrats". By 1799 riots broke out in Lugano, and the second préfet, Francesco Capra, fled the city. Power passed to a provisional government sympathetic to the Habsburgs. However, French occupation was restored in 1800.^[10] Discontent continued and in early 1802 a revolt in Capriasca led to the autumn pronunciamento of Pian Povrò, which declared the independence of Lugano from the Helvetic client republic.

With the Act of Mediation, the following year, political agitation was finally quelled, as were the struggles between unionists and federalists. The canton of Lugano merged with Bellinzona creating the canton of Ticino, which endures to the present day.

19th Century[link]

Lugano in the early 20th century

After 1803, the political municipality of Lugano was created. One of the first tasks of the new city government was to determine the division of property and authority between the patriziato and the new political municipality. Two agreements between the two organizations, in 1804 and 1810, began this process. In the second half of the 19th century the political municipality received various properties and rights from the patriziato. Francesco Capra, the préfet during the Helvetic Republic, became the first mayor of Lugano from 1803 until 1813. The cantonal constitution of 1814, set Lugano, Bellinzona and Locarno as capitals of the Canton. They each served as the capital in a six-year rotation. Lugano was the capital in 1827–33, 1845–51 and 1863–69.^[12]

In the 19th century, the city government was dominated by the Liberal Party. In 1900, slightly more than half of the seats on the city council (at the time 50 total members, but 60 members since 2004) were held by Liberals. Most of the rest of the seats were held by either Conservatives or Socialists.

The city government initially had eleven members, but in 1908 their number was reduced to five and in 2004 increased to seven. Throughout most of the 20th century, the Liberals held the absolute majority here as well. The rest of the municipal executive posts were held by the Conservatives, the Socialists (1944–48, 1976–80 and since 2000) and the Ticino League (since 1992).

Around 1830 new civic and government buildings began to emerge in Lugano. The city also began to expand into the surrounding hills, along the Cassarate, and toward Molino Nuovo, Paradiso and Castagnola. In 1843–44 the town hall was built on the site of the Bishop's Palace (built in 1346). It housed the cantonal government in 1845–51 and again in 1863–69. Since 1890, it has housed the city government. The promenade was built in stages: first part was in the 1870s, a second in the first decade of the 20th century. In the first decades of the 19th century, the roads that connect Lugano with Bellinzona (1808–12), Ponte Tresa (1808–20) and Chiasso (1810–16) were built. In 1848 the first steamboat on Lake Lugano began to operate, with regular, scheduled service since 1856. The construction of the causeway between Melide and Bissone in 1844–47 favored the development of the Chiasso-Bellinzona-Lugano-Gotthard line at the expense of the north-south route along Lake Maggiore. This tendency for development was strengthened further in 1882 with the completion of the Gotthard railway line. The railway station was built in 1874–77 in Lugano, and transformed it into one of the main links between northern Italy and central and northern Europe, which led to the development of tourism and in general helped the services sector.^[12]

Modern Lugano[link]

Grand Hôtel Palace in 1928

From the mid-19th century to 1970 the city recorded constant population growth, especially between 1880 and 1910, when the population more than doubled. This increase was partly due to foreign nationals settling in Lugano (in 1870 18.7% of the population, 1910 43.6%) and people from other language areas of Switzerland (1870 1.4% of the population, 1910 6.9%). In the last three decades of the 20th century, the population fell slightly, despite the merger in 1972, of the municipalities of Castagnola and Brè-Aldesago. This reflects the trend to move away from the city to the suburban communities. With the creation of Nuova Lugano in 2004, the population doubled (in 2006 the population was 52,059, of which over a third of were foreigners).^[12]

Following the Second World War, and particularly during the 1960s and 70s, thanks to an abundant flow of capital from nearby Italy,^[12] Lugano experienced a period of exponential growth in banking activities which led to it placing itself as the third financial centre of Switzerland,^[8][13] with over 100 banking institutions present in the town.^[12] Trade, tourism and finance are the mainstays of the local economy. In 2000, nine-tenths of the workers were employed in the services sector, of which three-quarters are commuters, including many cross-border commuters (13% of the working population).

In 1975, the Congress Center was built followed in 1978 by the new City Hospital. In 1963 the city acquired the land for the airfield Lugano-Agno, and the first scheduled flights was in 1980. At the beginning of the 21st century they began the Grande Lugano projects, including: the car tunnel Vedeggio-Cassarate, which started in 2005 and connects the A2 motorway with the neighborhood of Cornaredo, the creation of a new Kulturpol on the site of the former Grand Hôtel Palace and a convention and exhibition center in the area of Campo Marzio.^[12]

In June 2011, officials of the Israeli city of Yehud announced they would undertake a massive construction project to replicate Lugano's old square in the center of their city, to reinvigorate commerce and tourism. The replica will be replete with neoclassical columns and colonnades.^[14]

Geography[link]

Lugano from Mt. Sighignola

Lugano lies at the edge of Lake Lugano (Italian: Lago di Lugano or Ceresio), which is situated between the lakes Lago Maggiore and Lago di Como, south of the Alps.

The city is located where the river Cassarate enters the lake between the Brè (925m) and the San Salvatore (912m) mountains.

Lugano has an area, as of 1997^[update], of 32.09 square kilometers (12.39 sq mi). Of this area, 3.25 km² (1.25 sq mi) or 10.1% is used for agricultural purposes, while 6.73 km² (2.60 sq mi) or 21.0% is forested. Of the rest of the land, 4.48 km² (1.73 sq mi) or 14.0% is settled (buildings or roads), 0.04 km² (9.9 acres) or 0.1% is either rivers or lakes and 0.12 km² (30 acres) or 0.4% is unproductive land.

Of the built up area, housing and buildings made up 9.4% and transportation infrastructure made up 3.0%. while parks, green belts and sports fields made up 1.2%. Out of the forested land, all of the forested land area is covered with heavy forests. Of the agricultural land, 0.5% is used for growing crops and 9.4% is used for alpine pastures. All the water in the municipality is in lakes. Of the unproductive areas, and .^[15]

The main population center of the city of Lugano is along the west bank of the river, and forms a crescent around the bay. It includes a "new-" or "Greater-Lugano" next to the old town and the various city districts, which used to be independent municipalities. In 1972 it incorporated Brè-Aldesago and Castagnola, in 2004 Breganzona, Cureggia, Davesco-Soragno, Gandria, Pambio-Noranco, Pazzallo, Pregassona and Viganello and in 2008 Barbengo, Carabbia and Villa Lugano.^[16] It also includes the neighborhoods of Besso, Cassarate, Centro, Loreto and Molino Nuovo which were not independent.

Coat of arms[link]

The blazon of the municipal coat of arms is Gules, a cross throughout argent, between the upper case serif letters "L", "V", "G" and "A" (respectively in the I, II, III and IV quarters).^[17]

Demographics[link]

Since its union with some surrounding municipalities (Breganzona, Cureggia, Davesco-Sorengo, Gandria, Pambio-Noranco, Pazzallo, Pregassona, and Viganello) in 2004, Lugano has a population of over 54,000 and is therefore Canton Ticino's largest city.^[19] This was the second major expansion after the union in 1972 with the municipalities of Brè-Aldesago and Castagnola.

The town's thriving economy provides an estimated 38,000 jobs,^[19] over a third of which are occupied by cross-border commuters. Business, tourism and finance constitute the backbone of the local economy. In 2000, the tertiary sector offered 90% of all jobs in Lugano, of which 75% were occupied by commuters, many of which commute from neighbouring Italy (approximately 13% of the active working population); in the same year tax revenues reached CHF 104 million, of which CHF 59 million were attributable to the banking sector. The city is Switzerland's third largest banking centre after Zurich and Geneva.^[20][21] With regards to intercommunal financial equalisation, thanks to its financial strength Lugano contributes significantly to the equalisation fund.^[12] The population is Italian-speaking and mainly Roman Catholic.

Lugano has a population (as of December 2010^[update]) of 54,667.^[1] As of 2008^[update], 36.2% of the population are resident foreign nationals.^[22]

Over the last 10 years (1997–2007) the population has changed at a rate of 6.9%. Most of the population (as of 2000^[update]) speaks Italian (80.3%), with German being second most common (7.1%) and Serbo-Croatian being third (2.7%).^[23] Of the Swiss national languages (as of 2000^[update]), 1,855 speak German, 597 people speak French, 20,998 people speak Italian, and 39 people speak Romansh. The remainder (3,071 people) speak another language.^[24]

As of 2008^[update], the gender distribution of the population was 47.1% male and 52.9% female. The population was made up of 15,457 Swiss men (28.1% of the population), and 10,461 (19.0%) non-Swiss men. There were 19,417 Swiss women (35.3%), and 9,725 (17.7%) non-Swiss women.^[25]

In 2008^[update] there were 318 live births to Swiss citizens and 190 births to non-Swiss citizens, and in same time span there were 351 deaths of Swiss citizens and 92 non-Swiss citizen deaths. Ignoring immigration and emigration, the population of Swiss citizens decreased by 33 while the foreign population increased by 98. There were 7 Swiss men and 3 Swiss women who emigrated from Switzerland. At the same time, there were 672 non-Swiss men and 556 non-Swiss women who immigrated from another country to Switzerland. The total Swiss population change in 2008 (from all sources, including moves across municipal borders) was an increase of 197 and the non-Swiss population change was an increase of 706 people. This represents a population growth rate of 1.7%.^[22]

The age distribution, as of 2009^[update], in Lugano is; 4,666 children or 8.5% of the population are between 0 and 9 years old and 5,013 teenagers or 9.1% are between 10 and 19. Of the adult population, 6,270 people or 11.4% of the population are between 20 and 29 years old. 8,267 people or 15.0% are between 30 and 39, 9,113 people or 16.6% are between 40 and 49, and 6,844 people or 12.4% are between 50 and 59. The senior population distribution is 6,459 people or 11.7% of the population are between 60 and 69 years old, 4,947 people or 9.0% are between 70 and 79, there are 3,481 people or 6.3% who are over 80.^[25]

Banca del Gottardo buildings in Lugano

As of 2000^[update] the average number of residents per living room was 0.61 which is about equal to the cantonal average of 0.6 per room. In this case, a room is defined as space of a housing unit of at least 4 m² (43 sq ft) as normal bedrooms, dining rooms, living rooms, kitchens and habitable cellars and attics.^[26] About 19.1% of the total households were owner occupied, or in other words did not pay rent (though they may have a mortgage or a rent-to-own agreement).^[27]

As of 2000^[update], there were 23,168 private households in the municipality, and an average of 2. persons per household.^[23] In 2000^[update] there were 489 single family homes (or 20.6% of the total) out of a total of 2,372 inhabited buildings. There were 214 two family buildings (9.0%) and 1,046 multi-family buildings (44.1%). There were also 623 buildings in the municipality that were multipurpose buildings (used for both housing and commercial or another purpose).^[28]

The vacancy rate for the municipality, in 2008^[update], was 0.64%. In 2000^[update] there were 16,333 apartments in the municipality. The most common apartment size was the 3 room apartment of which there were 5,398. There were 1,811 single room apartments and 2,019 apartments with five or more rooms.^[29] Of these apartments, a total of 13,342 apartments (81.7% of the total) were permanently occupied, while 2,485 apartments (15.2%) were seasonally occupied and 506 apartments (3.1%) were empty.^[29] As of 2007^[update], the construction rate of new housing units was 3.3 new units per 1000 residents.^[23]

As of 2003^[update] the average price to rent an average apartment in Lugano was 1073.49 Swiss francs (CHF) per month (US$860, £480, €690 approx. exchange rate from 2003). The average rate for a one room apartment was 623.12 CHF (US$500, £280, €400), a two room apartment was about 809.81 CHF (US$650, £360, €520), a three room apartment was about 1030.53 CHF (US$820, £460, €660) and a six or more room apartment cost an average of 1890.13 CHF (US$1510, £850, €1210). The average apartment price in Lugano was 96.2% of the national average of 1116 CHF.^[30]

Historic population[link]

The population of the original town of Lugano (not including the municipalities added after 1972) is given in this chart:^[9] <timeline> Colors=

 id:lightgrey value:gray(0.9)
 id:darkgrey  value:gray(0.8)

ImageSize = width:1020 height:210 PlotArea = height:150 left:100 bottom:50 right:100 AlignBars = justify DateFormat = x.y Period = from:0 till:55000 TimeAxis = orientation:vertical AlignBars = justify ScaleMajor = gridcolor:darkgrey increment:5000 start:0 ScaleMinor = gridcolor:lightgrey increment:1000 start:0 PlotData=

 color:yellowgreen width:40   mark:(line,white) align:center
 bar:1710 from:start till:2320 text:"2,302"
 bar:1783 from:start till:3761 text:"3,761"
 bar:1850 from: start till:5939 text:"5,939"
 bar:1870 from: start till:6836 text:"6,836"
 bar:1888 from: start till:8185 text:"8,185"
 bar:1900 from: start till:10847 text:"10,847"
 bar:1910 from: start till:14988 text:"14,988"
 bar:1930 from: start till:17672 text:"17,672"
 bar:1950 from: start till:21448 text:"21,448"
 bar:1970 from: start till:27121 text:"27,121"
 bar:1990 from: start till:25334 text:"25,334"
 bar:2000 from: start till:26560 text:"26,560"
 bar:2010 from: start till:54667 text:"54,667"

</timeline>

Politics[link]

In the 2007 federal election the most popular party was the FDP which received 26.6% of the vote. The next three most popular parties were the Ticino League (19%), the CVP (18.71%) and the SP (17.46%). In the federal election, a total of 11,980 votes were cast, and the voter turnout was 42.8%.^[31]

In the 2007^[update] Gran Consiglio election, there were a total of 27,557 registered voters in Lugano, of which 15,214 or 55.2% voted. 237 blank ballots and 38 null ballots were cast, leaving 14,939 valid ballots in the election. The most popular party was the PLRT which received 3,680 or 24.6% of the vote. The next three most popular parties were; the LEGA (with 2,854 or 19.1%), the SSI (with 2,532 or 16.9%) and the PS (with 2,170 or 14.5%).^[32]

In the 2007^[update] Consiglio di Stato election, 158 blank ballots and 79 null ballots were cast, leaving 14,980 valid ballots in the election. The most popular party was the LEGA which received 3,839 or 25.6% of the vote. The next three most popular parties were; the PLRT (with 3,596 or 24.0%), the PS (with 2,496 or 16.7%) and the SSI (with 2,169 or 14.5%).^[32]

Economy[link]

As of 2007^[update], Lugano had an unemployment rate of 5.59%. As of 2005^[update], there were 77 people employed in the primary economic sector and about 28 businesses involved in this sector. 3,520 people were employed in the secondary sector and there were 420 businesses in this sector. 33,601 people were employed in the tertiary sector, with 3,877 businesses in this sector.^[23] There were 12,191 residents of the municipality who were employed in some capacity, of which females made up 45.9% of the workforce.

In 2000^[update], there were 28,174 workers who commuted into the municipality and 3,994 workers who commuted away. Lugano is the economic center of the region and draws about 7.1 workers into the municipality for every one leaving. About 12.4% of the workforce coming into Lugano are coming from outside Switzerland, while 1.6% of the locals commute out of Switzerland for work.^[33] Of the working population, 15.2% used public transportation to get to work, and 44.6% used a private car.^[23]

As of 2009^[update], there were 43 hotels in Lugano with a total of 1,584 rooms and 2,889 beds.^[34]

The airline Darwin Airline has its head office on the grounds of Lugano Airport in Agno, near Lugano.^[35]

Tourism[link]

Lugano is one of the most popular tourist destinations in Switzerland.^[36] Both Lake Lugano and the surrounding mountains provide a wide variety of outdoor activities. Lugano is, also, home to a number of historic buildings and museums.

Heritage sites of national significance[link]

There are 17 sites in Lugano that are part of the Swiss heritage site of national significance. The city of Lugano, the villages of Barbengo, Brè-Aldesago, Gandria and Biogno and the sites of Cantine di Gandria and Castagnola are all part of the Inventory of Swiss Heritage Sites.^[37]

The heritage sites of national significance included two libraries, the Biblioteca Cantonale and the Biblioteca Salita dei Frati as well as the Swiss National Recording Archives (Fonoteca nazionale svizzera). There were three churches; Cathedral of S. Lorenzo, Church of S. Maria degli Angioli and the Church of S. Rocco. There were three museums; the Museo cantonale d’arte, the Museo cantonale di storia naturale and the Villa Ciani complex with the Museo civico. The cemetery complex at via Trevano is also one of the sites, as is the Radiotelevisione svizzera di lingua italiana (RTSI) Italian-language broadcast facility. The rest of the sites are notable houses throughout the city. They include; the Palazzo civico at piazza della Riforma, the Palazzo e cinema Corso at via Pioda, the Palazzo Riva at via Francesco Soave, the Palazzo Riva at via Massimiliano Magatti, the Palazzo Riva at via Pretorio 7 and Villa Favorita in Castagnola.

• 

  Cathedral of S. Lorenzo

• 

  Church of S. Maria degli Angioli

• 

  Church of S. Rocco

• 

  Palazzo civico or Town Hall

• 

  Sketch of Ecce Homo from Museo cantonale d’arte

• 

  Borneo Hall at the Museo cantonale di storia naturale

• 

  Biblioteca Cantonale

Natural sights[link]

A very popular destination in Lugano is Lake Lugano. The lake is 48.7 square kilometers (18.8 sq mi) in size, 63% of which is in Switzerland and 37% in Italy. It has an average width of roughly 1 kilometer (0.62 mi) and is nearly 3 kilometers (1.9 mi) at its widest.^[38] The maximum depth of the lake is 279 meters (915 ft).^[38] The water is generally warm with average water temperatures in the summer ranging from 19.5 °C (67.1 °F) to 24.0 °C (75.2 °F).^[38] Bathing in the lake is allowed at any of the 50 or so bathing establishments located along the Swiss shores.^[39] There are numerous shipyards, water taxis and boat rental sites along the lake, as well as hotels and restaurants that offer mooring.

The view from the top of Monte Brè

In addition to the lake, Lugano is surrounded by mountains. The mountains provide a number of opportunities for sports or sightseeing. The area surrounding Lugano is home to over 300 kilometers (190 mi) of mountain biking trails, the largest net of trails in Switzerland.^[40] Monte Brè (925 meters (3,035 ft)) east of Lugano has had a funicular that runs up the mountain since 1912.^[41] Monte Brè, which is Switzerland's sunniest spot,^[41] is also home to the village of Brè which is a fairly intact old village. Monte San Salvatore (912 meters (2,992 ft)) also has a funicular, with the base station located only 500 meters (1,600 ft) from the Lugano-Sud motorway exit and 5 minutes away from the Paradiso railroad station.^[42] Monte San Salvatore is located on the outskirts of Lugano and provides an excellent view over the entire city.

Buildings[link]

• St. Lawrence Cathedral (9th and 15th century)
• St. Mary of the Angels Church (16th century) with the fresco of the Christ's Passion from Bernardino Luini
• Parco civico – Villa Ciani
• Piazza della Riforma
• Villa Favorita

Museums[link]

Villa Heleneum at the Museo delle Culture

• Art Museum
• Museo delle Culture (Museum of Cultures)
• Cantonal Art Museum
• Foundation Aligi Sassu and Helenita Olivares
• Historical Museum
• Cantonal Museum on Natural History
• Swiss Custom Museum
• Municipal Art Museum
• Wilhelm Schmid Museum
• Hermann Hesse Museum

Climate[link]

Lugano's climate is characterized by relatively mild winters and warm, damp summers. Precipitation falls year-round but is lightest during the winter months. It has an average of 103.3 days of rain or snow per year and on average receives 1,545 mm (60.8 in) of precipitation. The wettest month is May during which time Lugano receives an average of 194 mm (7.6 in) of rain. During this month there is precipitation for an average of 13.3 days. The driest month of the year is December with an average of 63 mm (2.5 in) of precipitation over 5.6 days.^[43]

Education and research[link]

Università della Svizzera italiana, informatics building

In Lugano about 63.7% of the population (between age 25–64) have completed either non-mandatory upper secondary education or additional higher education (either university or a Fachhochschule).^[23]

In Lugano there were a total of 7,931 students (as of 2009^[update]). The Ticino education system provides up to three years of non-mandatory kindergarten and in Lugano there were 1,356 children in kindergarten. The primary school program lasts for five years and includes both a standard school and a special school. In the municipality, 2,280 students attended the standard primary schools and 129 students attended the special school. In the lower secondary school system, students either attend a two year middle school followed by a two year pre-apprenticeship or they attend a four year program to prepare for higher education. There were 1,932 students in the two year middle school and 47 in their pre-apprenticeship, while 884 students were in the four year advanced program.

The upper secondary school includes several options, but at the end of the upper secondary program, a student will be prepared to enter a trade or to continue on to a university or college. In Ticino, vocational students may either attend school while working on their internship or apprenticeship (which takes three or four years) or may attend school followed by an internship or apprenticeship (which takes one year as a full-time student or one and a half to two years as a part-time student).^[46] There were 492 vocational students who were attending school full-time and 722 who attend part-time.

The professional program lasts three years and prepares a student for a job in engineering, nursing, computer science, business, tourism and similar fields. There were 89 students in the professional program.^[47] As of 2000^[update], there were 3,537 students in Lugano who came from another municipality, while 887 residents attended schools outside the municipality.^[33]

Lugano is home to 2 libraries. These libraries include; the Biblioteca universitaria di Lugano and the Biblioteca cantonale Lugano. There was a combined total (as of 2008^[update]) of 448,811 books or other media in the libraries, and in the same year a total of 51,740 items were loaned out.^[48]

Some of the schools in Lugano include;

• University of Lugano: Lugano is the home of the faculties of informatics, economics, and communication sciences.
• Swiss National Supercomputing Centre: an autonomous unit of ETH Zurich that focuses on high-performance computing.
• Dalle Molle Institute for Artificial Intelligence: a non-profit oriented research institute for artificial intelligence, affiliated with both the Università della Svizzera Italiana and SUPSI.
• Franklin College Switzerland: an American and Swiss accredited liberal arts college.
• The American School In Switzerland: an international secondary school.
• SUPSI: University of Applied Science of Southern Switzerland.
• Centro scolastico per le industrie artistiche (CSIA): A school after secondary education for studying art and design.

Transport[link]

TPL Main Bus Station in Lugano

Lugano is located along the A2 motorway, a part of the European route E35 which over 1,600 km (990 mi) between Amsterdam and Rome.

The yellow "Post" buses, part of the Autopostale service, offer 64 regional public service lines, as well as five urban lines, travels an estimated 7.9 million kilometres and transports 7 million passengers annually. Its network is also integrated with other modes of transport, such as the funiculars and the federal railways, and therefore regularly announces competitive offers on tourist excursions.

Its Palm Express service connects Lugano to St. Moritz. The AutoPostale station and ticket office is located at Via Balestra 4 in the centre of Lugano. The inner city TPL (Trasporti pubblici luganesi) buses connect the centre with the suburbs; the Autolinee regionali luganesi buses connect Lugano with the towns of Canobbio, Davesco, Lamone, Sonvico and Tesserete.

Lugano is served by Lugano Airport, in the nearby municipality of Agno. Darwin Airline, Flybaboo and Swiss Airlines operate to Lugano Airport. While there is limited service to Lugano's airport, Milan’s airports are around 60 to 90 minutes away and provide access to a greater number of worldwide locations.^[13]

Railways[link]

Lugano Train Station

The SBB-CFF-FFS, the Swiss Federal Railways, connects Lugano's railway station with those of other Swiss and Italian cities and towns.

Cisalpino AG, a joint venture between SBB-CFF-FFS and Trenitalia, offers several trains to Lugano from major cities in Switzerland and northern Italy.^[49]

From May until mid October, the tourist oriented Wilhelm Tell Express travels from Lake Lucerne to Lugano.^[50]

Additionally, the metre gauge Lugano-Ponte Tresa Railway (FLP) connects Lugano with Ponte Tresa.

In the future, connections to Bellinzona will improve with the opening of the Ceneri Base Tunnel and connections to cities in Northern Switzerland, such as Zürich, will improve with the Gotthard Base Tunnel.

Lugano is also served by three funicular railways. The Funicolare Lugano Città–Stazione is a short line connecting Lugano railway station to the city centre, whilst the Funicolare Monte Brè and the Funicolare Monte San Salvatore ascend nearby hills to vantage points.

Culture[link]

Model by Mario Botta of Borromini's San Carlo church

The Palazzo dei Congressi is the performing arts center for Lugano. It is a main hall for the Orchestra della Svizzera Italiana.

The Lugano Festival runs during April and May, followed by the related "Progetto Martha Argerich" in June. Estival Jazz arrives in July. The Blues-to-Bop Festival in late August and early September turns the city into a hive of activity as thousands crowd the streets and piazzas for free open-air concerts.

In 1956 Lugano hosted the first Eurovision Song Contest.^[51]

The Museo Cantonale d'Arte has two parallel objectives: the conservation and study of the Museum's permanent collection, which is above all made up of works belonging to the 19th and 20th centuries; and the planning and presentation of temporary exhibitions. It focuses on art of the canton Ticino and present artists from the region on a regular basis.^[52]

In the Brè village we have an artistic way. The town of Brè sopra Lugano offers its visitors charming corners created by its characteristic stone buildings. The cobble stone streets of the town offer art enthusiasts an artistic path that is very interesting both because of the presence of national and international “names” and the combination of art and the environment.

Sports[link]

Hockey Club Lugano (HCL) plays in the Switzerland National League. They play at the Resega arena and have won seven national titles, having participated twice in the European Cup final round and once in the top four final in Euroleague. In 1991, Lugano reached the final of the famous Spengler Cup and twice reached third place in the IIHF Continental Cup Superfinal.^[53]

FC Lugano plays in the Swiss Challenge League. They play at the Stadio Cornaredo and won the Swiss title in 1938, 1941 and 1949 and the Swiss Cup in 1931, 1968 and 1993.

BC Lugano Tigers (former Basket Club Lugano) plays in the Swiss National League A (LNA). They play at the Elvetico gym, won the Swiss Cup in 2011 and have been Swiss LNA Champions in 2000, 2001, 2006 and 2010.

Lugano hosts an annual major international sporting event, the "Gran Premio Citta Di Lugano" which is a European Athletics permit meeting and attracts racewalkers from all over the world. They compete for substantial prizes in the 20 km racewalk, which is an Olympic event, and many national records have been set.^[54]

Religion[link]

From the 2000 census^[update], 18,035 or 67.9% were Roman Catholic, while 1,517 or 5.7% belonged to the Swiss Reformed Church. There are 4,714 individuals (or about 17.75% of the population) who belong to another church (not listed on the census), and 2,294 individuals (or about 8.64% of the population) did not answer the question.^[24]

Gallery[link]

• 

  View of Monte San Salvatore, as seen from Piazza Luini, Lugano, Switzerland.

See also[link]

Switzerland portal

• Canton of Lugano

References[link]