Feeling rather adventurous Expat hubby decided to make the most of a spectacularly sunny day and rent a boat on the lake of Lugano. Lake Lugano is one of the three large lakes (Como and Maggiore are the other two) that hug the Swiss-Italian border, lining up in neat and handsome parallels.
The water drifts between the sheer granite walls of two mighty triangles, Mount Bre and Mount San Salvatore. Together they form the stunning frame through which you look south from the town of Lugano.
As we chugged along the shoreline heading for the Italian border, we admired La Villa Favorita and the little village of Gandria, both places of enchanting charm.
And as the whole family basks in the sun trying to find space on the tiny boat, I can't help but smile at my splendid surroundings infused with a mix of Swiss sophistication and Italian passion.
My American Dad would have called it "Ahhh, la dolce vita!"
San Salvatore one of the many hills framing Lugano's landscape
Heading towards Porlezza in Italy
There is not much flat soil, which allows for some fantastic hiking.
Spot the Lido San Domenico at the bottom, a perfect place to chill on a warm, sunny day.
Gandria has no ledge along the shore, the houses seem to tumble down onto the water. From the tiny dock, a few minutes' climb will take you away from the postcard and pottery trade lining the waterfront and will reveal how the village fits together like Lego pieces, houses, alleys and stairs all interconnected and carved from the granite of Mount Bre, to which the village clings.
Villa Favorita was the scene of one of the most extraordinary art transfers in peacetime, when in 1991, Baron Hans Heinrich von Thyssen-Bornemisza, a Swiss industrialist (of German and Hungarian decent), and his family sent 800 paintings and other works of art to Madrid.
Lugano was first mentioned by Gregory of Tours in 590 AD, who referred to the body of water as Ceresio. It is thought that the original name came from the many cherry trees that once dotted the shores of the lake. In 804 the lake was renamed as Luanasco.
Lugano's latest addition the LAC (Lugano Arte e Cultura) a new cultural centre dedicated to the visual arts, music and the performing arts.
When you get to fly back on a clear day and you just cannot get enough of the view!
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