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With its compact cluster of Italianate piazzas and extensive tree-lined promenades, LUGANO is the most alluring of Ticino's lake resorts, less touristic than Locarno but with, if anything, double the chic. Centre of town is Piazza di Riforma , a huge cafe-lined square perfect for eyeballing passers-by over a cappuccino, while Lugano's exceptionally beautiful lake is metres away, as are the characterful steep lanes of the old town. Through the maze northwest of Riforma, Via Cattedrale dog-legs up to Cattedrale San Lorenzo , characterized by a fine Renaissance portal, fragments of interior frescoes, and spectacular views from its terrace. Also from Riforma, narrow Via Nassa - rivalling Zurich's Bahnhofstrasse for big-name designer glitz - heads southwest to the medieval church of Santa Maria degli Angioli , containing a stunning wall-sized fresco of the Crucifixion. A little further south is the Museo d'Arte Moderna , Riva Caccia 5 (Tues-Sun 9am-7pm; Sfr10), with world-class exhibitions; and a little further still is the modestly named district of PARADISO , from where a funicular rises to San Salvatore , a rugged rock pinnacle offering fine views of the lake and surrounding countryside ( www.montesansalvatore.ch ). East from Riforma along the shore on foot or with bus #1, you'll come to the gates of Villa Favorita (Easter-Oct Fri-Sun 10am-5pm; Sfr10), home to part of the great Thyssen-Bornemisza art collection. On display is a high-quality selection of modernist works by European and American painters, many of them relative unknowns but all the more eye-opening for that - but the setting is as impressive as the art: the villa can only be approached on foot via a long cypress-lined path through lavishly beautiful waterside gardens, a dreamy wander worth the entrance fee by itself. The slopes of Monte Bre behind are home to most of Lugano's many millionaires, while a funicular rises from the adjacent district of CASSARATE to the summit, with bracing walks and views ( www.montebre.ch ). The best of the lake is behind (south of) San Salvatore on the Ceresio peninsula, accessed by boats or postbuses. Here you'll find tiny MONTAGNOLA , where the writer Hermann Hesse lived for 43 years; his first house, Casa Camuzzi, is now a small museum (March-Oct Tues-Sun 10am-12.30pm & 2-6.30pm; Nov-Feb Sat & Sun same times; Sfr5; tcp.ch/cultura ), with an excellent 45-minute English film on Hesse's life in Ticino. Jewel of the lake, however, is MORCOTE on the gorgeous southern tip of the peninsula. Tranquil stepped lanes lead up to its photogenic church of Santa Maria del Sasso, with striking interior frescoes and a grand vista. Several walks explore the lush woodlands, including a trail back to San Salvatore (2hr 30min).
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