Surprising Ticino between sport, nature and gourmet dinners

The Canton of Ticino that you don't expect is an oasis of relaxation and passion. So much for Lugano's cold reputation as a city of business and banks. Between walks in enchanting forests, sporting activities in nature, swimming in indoor pools but with a view of the sky, and lazing around in spas, relaxation in so-called Italian Switzerland is guaranteed. And passion can be kindled not only by the views of the Alps, lakes and medieval castles but also by the gourmet cuisine of several starred restaurants and the many concerts and events of the Lugano LongLake Festival (9 to 26 July).

On Tuesday, 26 May, emotions turn pink for the stage on Swiss soil of the Giro d'Italia. A 113-kilometre stage with departure from the Ticino capital Bellinzona and arrival in Carì, in the Leventina Valley, with three thousand metres of altitude difference and five mountain grand prix. "A spectacular stage that crosses breathtaking panoramas, in particular the climb to Carì, capable of igniting the desire to explore even areas little beaten by tourism and make the beauty of a largely unspoilt territory better known," explains Rocco Cattaneo, one of the promoters of the initiative and a well-known Ticino businessman (as well as cyclist).

With his wife Anna Celio, Rocco Cattaneo is in fact the patron of Splash & Spa Tamaro, a large water park and wellness oasis in Rivera (ten minutes from Lugano), suitable for children and teenagers for the part of the maxi indoor slides and able to provide relaxation for parents in the vast 12,000 square metre area) of the well-tended spa and garden with a view of Mount Tamaro.

Many guests go there to relax after their walks or recreational and sporting activities at the top of the mountain, which is connected by a gondola that has just been renovated by the other branch of the family (led by the president of Monte Tamaro SA Luca Cattaneo) and leads to 80 km of mountain bike trails, to 90 km of nature trails, to the adventure park for young and old, to the sledge lift and to the spectacular church of Santa Maria degli Angeli, designed by architect Mario Botta in honour of the wife of founder Egidio Cattaneo, Mariangela (mother of Rocco, Luca and Lorenza). While waiting for the hotel that might be built - if the project is completed - in front of the three white domes of the Splash & Spa Tamaro, the relaxation continues on the floor dedicated to the Suono di Sole, a visual, poetic and acoustic installation curated by Franco Mussida (former frontman of PFM - Premiata Forneria Marconi) with a perennial concert of voices and instruments linked to the cycle of the sun and the seasons and therefore always different. A welcome gourmet stop in the à la carte restaurant, which combines quality local raw materials with Neapolitan recipes by the young Campania chef Angelo Stinga.

The executive chef of the Hotel Splendide Royal in Lugano, a historic 19th-century villa reflected in the waters of Lake Lugano, is also from Campania. And what a chef: Marco Veneruso was called by the (Neapolitan) Naldi family, owners of the hotel, part of the Roberto Naldi Collection, after a career in the starred restaurants of the Four Seasons in Florence and Milan and at the Bulgari Hotel & Spa in Beijing. A Michelin star immediately arrived also in Lugano, for the talented chef who leads the restaurant I due Sud (of Italia and Switzerland, in honour of the roots of the Ceo Adele Naldi, exponent of the fourth generation of the Neapolitan hotel dynasty). This season's signature dish is char with spring onion and bergamot, symbolising the union between the lakes of the North and the citrus fruits of the South.