Lugano is a small-sized municipality and its population amounts to about 29000 inhabitants extending over an area slightly larger than 11 km2. These small dimensions can be surprising if compared to the importance and international fame of the City. Lugano is of ancient origins. There are sure traces of the small lake and rural borough dating back to the 10th century. It was the object of continuous ducal disputes (Como and Milan) and then Lugano and its Pievi became a Swiss dominion in 1513, a dominion that lasted until 1798, a year in which, under the pressure of the great European upheavals, it asked and obtained independence, thus becoming part of the Swiss Confederation. The shift from the medieval borough to the modern city occurred with the development of the tourist sector in the second half of the nineteenth century. The brothers Ciani and the hotel manager Alexander Béha were the protagonists of that change. The financial and banking sector started its development at a moderate pace at the beginning of the 20th century and has grown at a steady pace since the sixties and the seventies. After only a few decades Lugano has become the third financial market in Switzerland. Tourism, finance and trade are therefore the leading sectors of the City's economy. Nowadays Lugano has its airport, very well organised tourist proposals which can also meet the needs of the most demanding tourism, from conference to elite tourism. It is hard to describe the incredible beauty of the Lugano lake, also known as the Ceresio. It is probably the most beautiful feature in Ticino. Cradled in between tall, green mountains, the lake has a dramatic quality. Several water sports such as water skiing, fishing, swimming and canoeing also take place in the lake.
© by Datatravel Srl
