Palm trees along Lugano’s lakeside promenade can be glimpsed from the Piazza della Riforma. People chat amiably in Italian as they browse the market stalls or sip cappuccino at the outdoor cafes. The sights and sounds might be those of the Italian Riviera, but this is Switzerland.

                Lugano’s Italianate environment surprises visitors who more often associate Switzerland with nations to the north and west, Germany and France. Yet, it is evidence that the history, traditions and climate as well as the language of Switzerland’s southerly neighbor also contribute to the country’s multi-faceted personality.

                The Piazza della Riforma is the central cobbled square in Lugano’s Old Town pedestrian precinct, surrounded by buildings dating from the 15th century. On Tuesday and Friday mornings, it is the setting for the popular farmers’ market, but its cafes are busy all the time.

                Along nearby lanes, stylish shops displaying the latest European fashions stand side-by-side with wine stores stocking the refreshing white Merlot that is a regional specialty.

                From the center of Old Town, a cable-driven funicolare tram saves visitors the climb up step streets to Cattedrale di San Lorenzo, perched halfway up the hillside. Rich frescoes from the 14th to 16th centuries decorate pilasters in the church’s elegant interior. The terrace fronting the Renaissance cathedral looks east over red tiled roofs to Monte Bre.

                Monte Bre (933 meters high) and Monte San Salvatore (912 meters high) rise like bookends on either side of Lugano. At the summits of both mountains, accessed by separate funicolares, are wooded hiking trails, restaurants and panoramic views.

                Leisure is Lugano’s main attraction. Musical and theatrical events as well as art exhibits of international merit crowd the city’s cultural calendar.

                Perhaps the most attractive venue for these is Villa Favorita, built between 1932 and 1937 by Baron Dr. Heinrich Thyssen-Bornemisza and opened to the public after his death in 1947. Set in a beautifully landscaped lakeside garden, it houses a collection of European art from the 14th century onwards and hosts special temporary exhibitions.

                As a resort boasting 133 sunny days per year and average temperatures above 20 C from May through September, Lake Lugano is the focus of much activity, including sailing, windsurfing and waterskiing. Regularly scheduled boat services encourage excursions to picturesque points around the lake’s shores.

                A launch ferries passengers to Gandria (four kilometers away), a charming postcard village suspended above the water on the slopes of Monte Bre. Its steep, narrow, winding streets, which are inaccessible to cars, form a labyrinth of restaurants serving regional dishes and shops selling local crafts. The pastel stuccoed buildings, with miniature gardens and potted geraniums filling every available space, are reminiscent of the Mediterranean.

                Ferry service continues across the lake to a remote spot on the Swiss-Italian border, where a former customs post now houses the Smugglers’ Museum. It documents smuggling activities in the area and displays actual confiscated items containing secret compartments used by smugglers to conceal contraband.

                A postal steamer provides transportation from Lugano to Morcote (eight kilometers away), a former fishing village wrapped around the base of Monte Arbostora, south of Monte Salvatore. Well preserved patrician facades line the street that snakes along the lake shore, with arched arcades sheltering businesses and cobbled passageways leading to backstreet houses. Alfresco restaurants, some under bright awnings and others beneath vine covered trellises, occupy platforms built over the water’s edge.

                A small chapel dating from the Middle Ages marks the beginning of a 403-stair ascent to Santa Maria del Sasso with its landmark campanile. The 13th century pilgrimage church has a small walled cemetery with a commanding view across the lake.

                Visitors who have time to linger in Lugano might want to take overland excursions to additional communities in the vicinity, such as Ascona with its island botanical garden and Bellinzona with three historic castles.