Switzerland

Switzerland: Ticino and Appenzell

An Italian-speaking Switzerland of palm trees and Mediterranean-feeling lakes, then a canton where men still wear the gold earring of peasant tradition

Switzerland

Switzerland: Ticino and Appenzell

A journey far from Geneva, Zermatt, and Lucerne: Ticino, Switzerland's only fully Italian-speaking canton, whose Lake Lugano lined with palm trees and Belle Époque villas evokes the Italian Riviera far more than the Swiss Alps, then Appenzell, the country's smallest canton, deeply attached to its peasant traditions, where men still wear the gold earring passed down through generations at festivals and where cows are led up to the alpine pastures each spring in embroidered traditional dress.

When

May to Sept

Price

From 3 000€ excl. flights

(based on 2 people sharing)

How long

6 nights

Ideal length

Ticino, Italian Switzerland

Days 1-2

The first chapter unfolds in Ticino, Switzerland's only fully Italian-speaking canton, whose particularly mild climate allows palm and lemon trees to grow along the shores of Lake Lugano, lined with Belle Époque villas built at the turn of the 20th century by a European aristocracy seeking southern warmth without leaving Swiss borders. This Mediterranean atmosphere, reinforced by architecture and cuisine strongly influenced by neighbouring Italy, offers a face of Switzerland radically different from the country's usual alpine images.

Day 1

A cruise on Lake Lugano

A boat cruise on Lake Lugano, between Belle Époque villas and terraced villages, with views of Mount San Salvatore overlooking the bay.

Day 2

The old town lanes of Lugano

A stroll through Lugano's old town, its architecture and cuisine strongly influenced by neighbouring Italy, among shaded squares and a Renaissance cathedral.

1 / 3

Appenzell, Traditional Switzerland

Days 1-2

The road to Appenzell, Switzerland's smallest canton and one of the last to grant women the right to vote in 1990, where peasant traditions remain vibrant with a rare intensity in contemporary Europe. Every spring, herders lead their livestock up to the alpine pastures in a costumed procession, wearing embroidered traditional dress and adorned with the gold earring passed down through generations, a ritual called Alpaufzug that still brings together the region's entire villages today.

Day 1

An alpine farm and cheesemaking

A visit to a traditional Appenzell alpine farm, a demonstration of artisanal local cheesemaking using methods passed down through generations.

Day 2

Appenzell village and its painted facades

A stroll through Appenzell village, its wooden facades painted with colourful floral motifs, discovering the local embroidery craft still practised by a few families.