It's no secret that I'm a fanatic about great airfare deals. If there's one recommendation I have for those hoping to travel more, buy great airfares first, sort out the details later. It's easy to feel overwhelmed by all of the decisions that go into planning a trip, but that first step of buying a plane ticket is always the spark.
A few years ago, I realized there are almost always great deals from NYC to Milan in November and December. While technically shoulder season, the weather in Milan proper can be unpredictable, but it's an ideal starting point for an array of wonderful excursions. Florence is three hours by train. The Cinque Terre coast is two and a half by car. The slopes of St. Moritz are just as close, as are the vineyards of Tuscany.
What caught my eye was a small town I didn't know much about in the south of Switzerland. Lugano sounded lovely, an Italian-speaking city in the canton of Ticino. Year round palm trees, towering Alps nearby, close enough to the glitz of Lake Como without being in the center of all the action? Count me in.
Lugano has an interesting (and ancient) history. Scientists have found evidence of inhabitants all the way back to the Stone Age, and monuments that originate from the Etruscan and Celtic civilizations. The Romans came to Lugano in the first century BC, Napoleon conquered it as part of the Helvetic Republic, and then George Clooney colonized all of the nearby villas with an army of celebrities and billionaires.
History aside, I wasn't quite sure what to expect. After a couple of nights exploring Milan and a side trip up to St. Moritz on the incredible feat-of-railway-engineering Bernina Express, I departed Milan. As soon as the train left the city, we curved around to catch our first glimpse of Lake Como as the sun rose. The fog began to lift and the drizzle gave way to sunshine and beautiful blue reflections for miles. The ride was 90 minutes of jaw-dropping views.
Once in Lugano, I walked downhill from the train station and checked into the Hotel Federale where I'd booked the top floor double room, lured in by its wrap-around balcony and incredible vistas. The lake stretched out towards the horizon while the city sleepily woke up. Days of leisurely, long walks were in order, spectacular sunsets melting into the glacial abyss. Nightly strolls through the Christmas Market at the Piazza della Reforma were full of fairy lights and the intoxicating smells of mulled wine and cider. I stopped at sidewalk cafes to warm up with Italian coffee, indulged in gelato after shopping up and down the steep cobblestone streets, and rode the funicular to the top of Monte Bré for some of the most stunning views I've seen in all my years of travel. Baguettes at tiny boulangeries, obscene amounts of Rolf Beeler cheeses, and great Italian reds. I wouldn't have it any other way.
Lugano, I’ll be back someday.
All photographs shot with my Mamiya C330f & Mamiya Sekor 80mm lens. This gallery includes a selection of films, mostly Fuji Velvia and Kodak Ektar.