La vita é piu bella in Lugano… Especially at Villa Sassa (Life is nicer in Lugano)

That la vita é piu Bella in Italy, we all know…

What many do not know is that just a few kilometers north of Lake Como, the language is still italian, the food is also delicious pasta… but…

The country is no longer the same… It is now Switzerland or the Svizzera, as the italians say!

Joining the Swiss confederation in 1803, Ticino was never really part of Italy although shared culture and food! But, fast forwarding to 2021,  the beauty of Switzerland is its diversity of cultures which co-exist with the same values despite the regional differences.

So… why not visiting Lugano, Ascona and Locarno!

Lugano is Ticino’s biggest city and it has a stunning lake called Lake Lugano! The Lake is shared between Italy and Switzerland and it is a glacial lake… making it special to visit!

We decided to visit the region and our hotel of choice was the wonderful Villa Sassa.

Lugano is quite hilly and surrounded by mountains! Facing the lake, Villa Sassa has an amazing terrace called Terrace of Wonders! Even in winter, The hotel itself was a great choice for a family like us!

The hotel offers several size of rooms, including small apartments which are perfect for family with kids, especially at the time of our visit when no restaurants were open (not even the terraces). Important to mention that the restaurants at the hotel were open to the guests; however due to the COVID restrictions, the capacity was reduced to comply… so having a kitchen and the ability to order room service was priceless!

Another great feature of Villa Sassa is its public spaces. First it has the biggest indoors gym of Ticino… Also, it has a breathtaking infinity swimming pool overlooking the town, which we did not try, as it was still toooo cold outside… but for the summer I could see myself easily relaxing by it while the kids would jump around…

If you are more of a spa junkie like me… the Spa at the hotel is also amazing…. Actually, the hotel has a very good indoor swimming pool, which my kids loved to go, despite all the restrictions in place.

We were in Ticino for 3 nights and all of them at the Villa Sassa. It was a perfect base to visit around, Lugano in itself is charmful, but once there, one must visit the adjacent cities of Locarno and Ascona. Actually I often say that Ascona is the most beautiful town in Switzerland… I sill remember when I first visited, it felt like entering into a fairy tale… no shame to say that I wanted to cry!

I know that we are all very thirsty to travel, but travelling does not need to be a synonym of airplanes. My impression is that there is a lot around us to see and visit, not more than a few hours by car… so, if you need a push to get out of the sofa…. 1, 2, 3… here it goes….

PUSH….

Hop in the car and Ticino here you go….

www.villasassa.ch

xx Valentina