Lugano, Switzerland

Saturday we hopped on a train straight south to Lugano. Halfway there the train tracks cut through the alps and we saw our first snowfall!! The snow was coming down pretty hard. No more golf it is officially ski season. Just three hours from Zurich, Lugano sits in the canton of Ticino. Lugano is a big commerce and banking center in the southern part of Switzerland, but the feel is extremely laid back. They speak beautiful Italian and cook amazing Italian food. It was a welcome change from a week ago, where nearly everything was foreign. Saturday afternoon downtown Lugano was packed with multiple street vendors along the piazza. Sitting at a sidewalk cafe made for some solid people watching. As we finished a killer pizza, a glass of chianti and getalo to die for we were anxious to check out town. After a quick stroll through town along the Via Nassa (shopping district) and checking off our obligatory town cathedral (San Carlo), we opted for some serious exercise. Monte Bre was in our sights. The trail to Monte Bre was along several old towns and even an old olive trail. A mix of bricks, switchbacks and lots of steps led us to the town of Bre which was a teaser - as we still had a good 25 mins to the top of the mountain. All in, we probably did about 25km distance and climbed just under 700m altitude. We stayed in a village called Castagnola - just east of Lugano. No cars could access the hotel, so we had about a 10 minute trek along the Olive Path.

Sunday, made for a cool stroll along this Olive Path. We headed east along Lake Lugano and discovered the town of Gandria. The village had an old olive press and even vines growing right along the lake. The views were probably the best we had seen on the lake and the architecture and design of the village was astounding. Making our way back to the hotel, we checked out and got a quick bite of some local baking - our hotel's specialty - raisin cake. Fully fueled for the trek up Monte San Salvatore (912m), we dumped our bags at the the train station and aimed for the base of the mountain. Both Bre and San Salvatore had easy ways up - via Funicolares (aka trains). At the San Salvatore Funicolare station, we asked the cashier which way for the wonderwag (hike) and how long would it take. She rolled her eyes, as if to say "Mama Mia!". Then simply put two fingers up and pointed behind us. We were on it.

About ten mins later our first sign said it would be 2hr 25 mins - no problem. 30 minutes later we hit our first wrong turn. We continue. About 1/2 way up we both hit a wall. The climb was much more severe then the day before. Moments after this, we came across a sign warning us that the "via ferrata" was off to the right - only for experienced climbers with proper harness gear. In between breaths, we managed to chuckle at each other. Obviously, we went the other way. The views made for some great breaks along the way, but the trail didn't seem to end. Finally, we made it and the best views of the weekend were atop this mountain. To the west you get a clear shot of the Swiss Alps, on some days you can even see Matterhorn. To the East and South you get views of Italy. Had it not been so windy, we could have spent hours up there checking out the views... Click here for more views of the weekend!