Spring in Lugano
The days grow longer, the temperatures become milder. An invitation to step outside for exhibitions, markets, or to stroll through the city’s parks and gardens.
With spring’s arrival, the city parks awaken with the brightened colours of flora and the songs of birds. It is the ideal time to stroll along the blooming avenues of Ciani Park or admire the landscape from the heights of Tassino Park. And for those wishing to venture beyond the most famous spots, Lugano offers parks and gardens of historic villas that are open to everyone.
Second in size only to Ciani Park, with its 27,500 m² of surface area, Viarno Park in Pregassona provides a very peaceful natural setting, with tree-lined paths, broad lawns, and more secluded corners under the foliage.
A few hundred metres away, in the Viganello district, Villa Costanza Park is another enchanting place, known for its large play areas, for the richness and variety of its vegetation, and for its beautiful 19th-century villa. It was commissioned by an Emilian count, Giovanni Grilenzoni, who took refuge there after the Risorgimento uprisings of 1821 to escape a death sentence for carboneria.
Heading to the foot of Monte Brè, in the Castagnola district, we find Villa Heleneum Park, a sumptuous garden of Mediterranean and subtropical plants arranged on terraces that descend towards the lake. The villa within, in an 18th-century style, was built in the 1930s for Hélène Bieber, a Parisian dancer and patron who aspired to create a place of cultural and social exchange between the North and South of the Alps.
Continuing along the lakeshore to the south, beyond the city centre, we arrive at Villa Florida Park, in the Loreto district, with its meticulously kept designs and rare trees. Unfortunately, nothing remains of the elegant Art Nouveau villa, but a few original features such as the pergola, iron railings, the grotto, and the caretaker’s house still survive.
Finally, back in the city centre, a mandatory stop is Villa Saroli Park, with its centuries-old trees and its lemon house, where until 22 March an exhibition dedicated to independent cultural spaces in Lugano is on display.
Until 12 October, the Museo d'arte della Svizzera italiana at its Palazzo Reali location hosts the photography exhibition Eugenio Schmidhauser. Oltre il Malcantone, while at the LAC, the Swiss artist Louisa Gagliardi presents a wide range of recent works under the title Many Moons. At the MUSEC, until 21 September, the exhibition African design. I metalli del potere continues, showcasing a selection of about four hundred traditional African coins and emblems of power.
The Cinema in Tasca series continues until 14 May, while from 28 March to 5 April, the OtherMovie Lugano Film Festival returns, this year dedicated to the theme “Identity: the memory that nourishes the future.”
The Casa della letteratura della Svizzera italiana, based at Villa Saroli, has a new artistic director, Mara Travella, who will welcome the public during the literary meetings scheduled until December. From 28 to 30 March, Biblioweekend takes place throughout Switzerland, a weekend dedicated to reading (and more) with events at Foce, in libraries, and other venues around the city. From 5 to 7 June, Poestate returns, the city festival dedicated to poetry.
At Foce, the Raclette and Random events continue, joined by the Fresh Festival from 20 to 22 March and the Swiss Electronic Music Festival & Swiss Synthesizer Meeting from 30 April to 1° May. From 4 to 6 April, in various locations around the city, Lugano Piano takes place, offering 50 concerts open to all. From 6 to 8 June at the LAC, the 90 years of the OSI, the Orchestra della Svizzera italiana, are celebrated.
In the Foce spaces, in addition to the already ongoing Rassegna Home, the Il Maggiolino festival takes place from 4 to 11 May, and from 21 to 25 May, Orme, the International Festival of Inclusive Arts of Italian-speaking Switzerland. For dance enthusiasts, from 14 to 18 May the Festa danzante returns, a national event celebrating dance in all its facets.
Among the sporting events of the season, we highlight Walking Lugano, a city-centre walk on 6 April; Lugano Bike Emotions, a cycling event from 25 to 27 April; and the Ladies Run, a women-only running race taking place on 10 May.
During the last weekend of March, Villa Ciani hosts YouNique, dedicated to art, and at the Centro Esposizioni the Ticino Tourmarket takes place. For cheese lovers, on 12 April the Fiera casearia (Cheese Fair) is held in the city centre. On 26 April, Parco Ciani hosts the Mercato delle piantine (Seedling Market) by ProSpecieRara, offering seeds and seedlings of rare varieties to plant in the garden or on the balcony at home. Finally, on 1° May, Rivetta Tell and the lakeside welcome the Mercatino di primavera (Spring Market), featuring gastronomic products and handicrafts.
On 27 March, the Palazzo dei Congressi hosts the Web3 Banking Symposium, a symposium dedicated to innovation in the financial sector. For Easter, the city offers numerous activities for the whole family: it’s Pasqua in Città (Easter in the City), from 18 to 21 April. Parco San Grato in Carona provides the setting for numerous events organised by the Associazione Amici del Parco San Grato (Friends of Parco San Grato Association), including a day of eco-volunteering and guided tours during the park’s flowering season. On 23 May, Lugano Marittima opens, with its lake-view huts offering a wide range of food and drinks. Additionally, from June to September, Lugano Riviera features a series of bar stations between Riva Albertolli and Rivetta Tell.
The English version of this page was created with the aid of automatic translation tools and may contain errors and omissions.
The original version is the page in Italian.