45 Best Sights in Ticino, Switzerland

In 2015, the Museo Cantonale d’Arte and Museo d’Arte joined forces to create the new MASI, contained in an enormous modern building on the lakeside. Dubbed the "LAC"—Lugano Art and Culture—building, it has more than 27,000 square feet of space in which to showcase 20th-century and contemporary art, emerging artists, and interdisciplinary exhibitions in collaboration with the theater and music departments of LAC.

This second MASI location is housed in the grand Palazzo Reali, a historic palace dating back to the Renaissance and the former site of the cantonal art museum. In contrast to the trendy LAC site, the atmosphere here is classic and refined. Its offerings are dedicated to the historic art of the region, with a permanent collection of local Ticinese artists.

In the tower of the Casa Camuzzi, a fabulous jumble of old houses on a hilltop in Montagnola, the Herman Hesse Museum is tiny but impressive. The Nobel Prize–winning author lived here the last 43 years of his life, writing Siddhartha and Steppenwolf. His rooms have been meticulously preserved; you can see his papers, books, desk, glasses, even his straw hat. Take the PostBus marked Agra-Montagnola from Lugano's train station.

The city's art gallery sporadically mounts worthwhile exhibits of pieces from its collection, donated by private citizens. Behind the garden and grounds, the city maintains a tiny vineyard used to produce its very own Merlot, available for sale inside.

This neoclassical Lombard structure dates from 1844. Inside there's a large yard surrounded by an arcade with a wide vestibule on the piazza side. It houses the town council and tourist office.

This splendid Renaissance structure was rebuilt in the 1920s. Its courtyard is framed by two stacked rows of delicate vaulted arcades decorated with sgraffiti (layered tinted plaster) depicting Bellinzona in the 19th century. The top floor consists of an airy loggia.

A green oasis in the city center, the park has cacti, exotic shrubs, and more than a thousand varieties of roses, as well as a fine view of the bay from its peninsula.

Just behind the train station, this park offers lovely bay views from its rose gardens. A small deer park and playground make it very child-friendly. To get here, take Bus 2 east to the San Domenico stop in Castagnola, or hop aboard the funicular from Old Town.

A remarkable garden, the Parco Scherrer was created over a period of decades by the Swiss business executive Arthur Scherrer (1881–1956). This folly rising from the lakeside brings together architectural samples from around the world—including an Egyptian sun temple, a Siamese teahouse, and an Indian palace—within the setting of a carefully landscaped garden.

From underneath the crowded arcades of this piazza, shoppers spill onto the square to lounge in cafés and watch each other drink, chat, and pose.

On the waterfront, the pedestrian-only Piazza Motta is crowded with sidewalk cafés, and the water along the promenade swarms with boats.

About 12 km (7½ miles) north of Corippo, in the town of Lavertezzo, you'll find this graceful double-arch stone bridge dating from the 16th or 17th century. The bridge was destroyed in a flood in 1906 and rebuilt in 1958.

This lakefront sculpture garden frames a dozen modern works with palms, camellias, oleanders, and magnolias. At the far west end there's a public swimming area.

If you wish to see all of Switzerland's monuments in a few hours, then stop in the town of Melide, 8 km (5 miles) south of Lugano. Swissminiatur has all the sights and sites you could wish for, including pint-sized versions of the Château de Chillon, Basel's Münster, and Locarno's Madonna del Sasso. More than 3 km (2 miles) of miniature tracks have been laid out and are busily used by tiny passenger and freight trains.

A charming labyrinth of lanes behind Piazza Motta leads uphill past art galleries (not all showing very good works) to Via Borgo, lined with contemporary shops and galleries.