Tuesday, 12 December 2006
Media and culture in the Ticino
2. Focusing on culture as well as the regional specifications of a multiethnical Swiss society, are the two priorities the program pursues since its creation. These two priorities are based on a mandate contained in two articles of the Swiss federal law on creation of radio and tv (RTVG). These two articles, article 3 and 46, are directed on the SRG-SSR. Article 3 implies and emphasizes the goal to promote the work on Swiss cultural affairs, thus inspiring viewers and spectators to participate in cultural affairs. Article 26 says that the SRG-SSR in its entity of programs has to take into consideration the specific circumstances of the nation as well as the requirements of the cantons, obliging it to a well balanced creation of the content of its programs.
3. Besides its main clientel in the Ticino TSI1 and 2 have two main clientels they focus on: the people coming from the Ticino but living in other areas of Switzerland, and the high number of north Italian viewers, appreciating a Swiss-Italian program, not giving way to an increasing higher mix of info-entertainment soap dominating their and many other European programs.
4. "Switzerland is on one hand a nation by will of its people but - on the other hand - no Tv-nation", as once stated by the Neue Züricher Zeitung (NZZ). "The mutual conscience of alienation is here independently seen from the language barriers, based on a different perception of TV-entertainment, leading to a manifestation of diversity of different cultures and mentalities.
In spite of this or especially because of that: integration is and remains a difficult task for society, and realizing especially this is the daily assignment for the SRG-SSR."
by Oliver Meissner
Rice with Luganighetta sausage
You just need:
300 gr of carnaroli rice
50 gr of scallion
2 dl of white wine
300 gr Luganighetta
some chicken bouillon
50 gr of carrots
50 gr of celery
Fry the scallion in a pan with olive oil.
Then, add a half of Luganighetta, carrots, celery and rice.
Leave it tosting for a few minutes. Pay into the white wine and wait until it evaporates.
At the end, decorate with butter, parmesan, whipped cream and the other half of roasted luganighetta.
Resega
The place to go if you want to spend a couple of hours ice skating with your children is called "Resega" and it's located in Lugano, very close to the Soccer Stadium. It's also the place where the famous Hockey Club Lugano plays, the main Hockey team of the city and also the swiss champions.
Inside Resega you can eat and drink, there is a restaurant and a bar, the prices are a little higher then outside but still OK... If you don't have your ice-skates, don't worry, you can rent them for only 5 swiss francs, while the entry cost 6 swiss francs for adults, 5 for students and 1 for little children.
You can go there by bus using line number 3 direction Pregassona, there's a bus stop called "Resega", or by car, the adress is Via Chiosso, Porza, you can leave your car in the parking right outside the Resega.
Opening time: from 22 september to 30 march Resega is open to public from 8.30 to 11.30 and from 14.00 to 16.45 every day except for the weekend, when it's open only from 14.00 to 16.45. Friday and Sathurday you can also ice skate after dinner, from 20.30 to 23.00 and feel the magic of this fantastic activity.
Practical informations: Prices and informations
Phone number: 004158 866 69 17
Monday, 11 December 2006
Swissminiatur
If you feel like enjoying the view, there is a special park for children that will allow you to sit quietly on the restaurant terrace while your children have fun. Located in Melide, 5 km far from Lugano and 1 from Campione d'Italia, Swissminiatur is easy to reach either by car, train or boat!
For those interested in this fantastic land here are some information:
opening time: from 18th of march until 29th of octomber
9 a.m. to 6 p.m.
price entry: adults 15 ch
children 10 ch
website: http://www.swissminiatur.ch/
History -Today
History - Past
Lugano’s history dates back to at least the Stone Age.
In fact, fossil remains have proven that Lugano used to stand below sea level. Stone age evidence includes fossils, and various remains sometimes found at excavation sites.
People living in pile dwellings inhabited the area, as found by various excavations on sites throughout Lugano where remains from the the Paleotic Era have been found. The famous lake on which Lugano sits, was formed by glaciers of the sub alpine region.
In ancient times the area of what is today Ticino was settled by the Lepontii, a Celtic tribe. Later, probably around the rule of Augustus, it became part of the Roman Empire After the fall of the Western Empire, was ruled by the Ostogothes, the Lombards and the Franks.
Around 1100 CE Lugano was the centre of struggle between the free communes of Milan and Como: in the 14th centry it was definitively acquired by theVisconti, Dukes of Milan.
By Kang-Bronz Yun Ji, Gasparini Silvia, Resende Regina
Sunday, 10 December 2006
The sweet heart of the town
La bottega del caffé is a pretty bright bar, specialized in blends of coffee and tea. During the summer, it exposes an unusual assortment of home-made ice creams, with flavours as Jamaica, cheese, walnut, fig, American red grapes, and so on. It also have few tables outside and a nice balcony with other seats on the second floor. Easy to join by the funicular, worth prices. Via Cattedrale 6, Tel. +41 91 9234733.
In the heart of Lugano, the luxurious Grand Café Al Porto is the ideal place for get-togethers, business lunches and cocktail parties, and for tasting special culinary creations in a unique atmosphere. Delight your palate with savoury and delicate desserts belonging to the Swiss tradition with an Italian touch.
To try: the Flavours of the month, delicious pastry creations from their confiserie. Among these, the mandarin soft ice cream, the chocolate cake with strawberries sauce, the one made of onions…and the cheastnuts Tronchetto with bilberries and butter cream, suitable for people allergic to peanuts and flour too. Top quality food is guaranteed.
Located in Via Pessina 3, the restaurant is open from Monday to Saturday from 8 a.m. until 6.30 p.m. You can reserve a table but also take away. Tel. +41 91 9105130.
www.grand-cafe-lugano.ch
Going on the same street, you will arrive in via Pessina 10: here is Merkur, a chocolate shop selling a great variety of pralines, loose or in original boxes, and pieces of home-made chocolate, black or white one, with pistachios, hazelnuts, almonds, berries, etc. Your mouth will be watering looking at the window, but mind the prices, they are quite expensive.
Open from Monday to Friday, Tel.+41 91 9232869.
www.merkur-chocolaterie.ch
Saturday, 9 December 2006
Torta di pane (Cake of bread)
5 cookies “amaretto”
1 litre of milk
a few salt
a whole lemon
150/200 gr of sugar
one spoon of cacao
a glass of grappa
200 gr of raisins
1 gr of vanilla
50 gr of cedar
50 gr of pine nuts
butter
Leave the bread in the hot milk for 4 hours (or all the night), then mince it and add the other ingredients - except peanuts and butter. Pour the compound in a buttered baking tin. Cover with the pine nuts and cook in the oven for 2 hours and a half. Then sprinkle with 50 gr of sugar.
Chill out Nights in Lugano II
Thursday: Live Jazz Music
Friday and Saturday: Dj set
viale Castagnola 16
6900 Lugano
By Bus: TPL SA
N°1,N°2,N°9,N°12
Watch the Map
Friday, 8 December 2006
Chill out Nights in Lugano
You also can plump for a large pint of beer or any kind of cocktailes following your taste. Special Margharitas and Daiquiris are available also in 1 liter size, which are suitable for a group of 4. The tasts are in lemon, strawberry and banana, they give you a refreshing and unforgetable experience. Unfortunately the café is closed on Sunday evenings, but on the rest of the week we can enjoy the ambiance till 1 am. After, the closest choice for a long night out is the New Orleans bar, just 1 minute far from Etnic.
Piazza Maghetti, 6900 Lugano
View the map
Contact
+41 91 923 3825
Thursday, 7 December 2006
Chocolate museum
Since 1957, expert chocolatiers in Caslano near Lugano have been dedicating their effort to the creation and production of the finest possible chocolate products. Alprose belongs among the largest chocolate-producing companies in Switzerland.
Your visit at the museum ends in the "Nostalgia" shop, where you can taste the rich variety of Alprose products: bars, napolitains, dragées, pralinés... The prices are also quite low!
The museum is open from Monday to Friday at 09.00 - 17.30 and on Saturday and Sunday at 09.00 - 16.30.
The shop is open from Monday to Friday at 09.00 - 18.00 and on Saturday and Sunday at 09.00 - 17.00
Price: CHF 4.- Adults/CHF 1.- Children 6-16 years
Buildings - An architectual approach
Derived from given urban situations, the designs provide consistent architectural responses, exercising a purifying effect on the urban context. Special emphasis is given on the image as a determining factor.
In the great cylinder at Molino Nuovo, the volumetric tension is reflected in the inner spatial organisation, while at the Caimato Building, the handling of the external surfaces alludes to traditional practice.
Botta uses large vertical cuts and so light, essential elements in his works, to give more feeling to the Building of Banca del Gottardo.
Reference: M.Daguerre, Birkhäuser Architectural Guide Switzerland 20th Century
To know more:
www.botta.ch
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mario_Botta
Enjoy! By Daniele Cereghetti, Dunai Ferenc & Magni Elisabetta
Buildings - A tourist approach
Go and have a look to the City Hall too. It was built in 1844 with the proposal of being the headquarters for the cantonal parliament. It was built with the money of Lugano citizen and its particularity is that it was a really expensive project. So go and read the plate dedicated to Lugano’s people... It is situated in the heart of the city, dominating the well-known “Piazza Riforma”. It is a really nice building you can't miss it!!!
I was then walking along via Trevano and I saw this interesting building… "Banca del Gottardo". I discovered that it was built in 1988 by the famous architect Mario Botta. I was surprised by its dimensions and by the fact that this enormous building is only a bank… it is one of the biggest banks in Lugano!!! Go and see it: Lugano is famous for its banks!!!
To know more:
www.lugano.ch
www.lugano-tourism.ch
www.gottardo.ch
Enjoy! By Daniele Cereghetti, Dunai Ferenc & Magni Elisabetta
Climbing For Beginners
Exhibition: Miquel Barceló
The current exhibition (12th November 2006 - 4th Februrary 2007) displays more than 80 works, paintings and sculptures, of the contemporary Spanish artist Miquel Barceló (*1957). We took a closer look at his biography and his paintings.
The Museum of Modern Art of the City of Lugano
As you can see, right from the design it's worth to take a look at the building from the outside!
History of the museum
The "Villa Malpensata", constructed in the 18. century, was donated to the city of Lugano in . Used as a museum it exposed different works of art until the city decided in 1990 to reconstruct the buildung and at the same time to change the museum's concept. So, in 1992, the "The Museum of Modern Art of the City of Lugano" opened its doors and focused from then on particularly on the promotion of 20. century art.
Exhibitons
Special attention is drawn to the expressionist movement, with man and his worries in the focus of interest. Previous exhibitions were dedicated to the works of: Emil Nolde (1994), Edward Munch (1998), Ernst Ludwig Kirchner (2000). Collections from the surrealist Marc Chagall and the artistic couple Christo and Jeanne-Claude were also shown.
Our opinion
From our point of view, it is quite remarkable that such a small museum can manage to organise exhibitions with works of art from famous artists and one should defenitely use the opportunity to see great art at close quarters.
Wanna try?
Museo d'Arte Moderna
Riva Caccia 5 6900 Lugano
Contact
Tel. 0041 (0)58 866 7214
Riva Caccia 5
E-mail. info@mdam.ch
www.mdam.ch
Open: Tuesday - Sunday, 9am - 6pm
by Alexandra Sowka and Mona Contzen
San Lorenzo Cathedral
The church origins are very old: some writings already in 875 A.C. speak of a church called "Sancti Laurentii in Luano". It has a facade early renaissance period (1517). Inside the cathedral there are frescoes from the 14th century to the 16th century on the pilasters. On one of them you can find the portrait (executed in 1346) of Bishop Bonifacio da Modena. Madonna delle Grazie Chapel (the most important of the side chapels) was founded in 1494 and was rebuilt in 1774 following the project of the architect Gianbattista Casasopra.
Parco Botanico San Grato
Finally, we reached the 62.000 square metre area located in Carona, 12 kilometres far from Lugano, which hosts the largest collection of azaleas, rhododendrons and conifers of the Insubric Region. Within the park, visitors can chose between a variety of theme walks signed by different signposts and enjoy the diversified flora, the overwhelming panorama, as well as some interesting information about the ornamental and natural vegetation.
Still "suffering" from our adventurous drive we decided to enjoy the calmness of the nature by walking along the "relax path" - with its 1.5 km the shortest and most comfortable walk through the park. On our trip we got to know that the park was passed on to the bank of Switzerland and in 1997 donated to the Lugano Tourist Office.
Despite the winter season, the beauties and the benefits people can get by experiencing the park are manifold. We experienced the loneliness, the silence and a "fairytale" atmosphere which stood in strong contrast to the noisy and polluted city nearby. Even though the blossoms were not present anymore, we enjoyed our stay by walking a bit, watching the artworks, singing, or simply sitting down amidst the autumn colours of the leaves.
For those who are interested in a very deep and different experience:
Opening time: all the year
Ideal time of visit: April/May
Entry: free
Restaurant/Bar: Open in spring and summer
Website: http://www.lugano-tourism.ch/
Parco Civico Lugano
Being curious, we entered the 63.000 square metre area, located on the lakeside only two minutes from Central Lugano.
The name of the park goes back to the aristocratic Ciani brothers from Lugano, who bought the estate in 1845 and restored it by planting new, rare plants and trees and who also placed some sculptures of popular artists like Vincenzo Vela.
Despite the typical December weather the red and yellow colours of the leaves and plants stood in a sharp contrast to the sky and the misty lakeside and created a fascinating atmosphere.
As described in the brochure, it took us an hour to stroll along the ways, passing by azaleas, olive trees, cork trees , willows hanging their branches into the lake, winter flowers and gaggling seabirds.
Finally we reached the cubic building of "Villa Ciani" that also hosts the art-museum of Lugano, and its garden, embellished by an ornament of white flowers. From there one has a nice view on the monumental Monte San Salvatore and the coastline of the city of Lugano.
For all those who like Mediterranean flora and want to take romantic pictures in a quiet environment, we strongly recommend a visit also in autumn and winter!
Opening hours : Summer 6 - 23 h / Winter 6 - 21 h
Best time to visit : all year
Art-Museum : closed on Monday
Website: http://www.lugano-tourism.ch/
Wednesday, 6 December 2006
Jewish Religion
Coming from Germany and France, they traveled along the rivers to Bern, Zurich, Geneva, St Gallen, Lucerne, Vevey, Neuchâtel, Fribourg and many other cities.Banished during the fifteenth century, they obtained protection and the right to reside in two villages in the Aargau canton, Lengnau and Oberendingen.
Tuesday, 5 December 2006
Banks In Lugano
Swiss banks hold the world leadership in private banking services and asset management for private customers. They manage one third of the world private and institutional capitals invested abroad. More than one third of UBS and Crédit Swiss returns come from private banking sector. In 2004 helvetic banks counted 115.600 full time workers, of which 16.000 employed in foreign branches.
These banks are now facing hard times, due to strong pressures of other commercial competitors that started offering the same services. Switzerland also numbers a network of bank cooperatives, Raiffeisen Banks, including 537 branches located in small centres. Each branch is self managed: the members have decisional power and share responsibility on the good performance of the branch.
So, if you’ve money to invest, now you know where the best place is…
For more information on Lugano's banks, foreign and national, see the link below:
http://www.lugano-online.ch/i/getrecords.asp?cat=7&sct1=66&ct=1&tt=0&sl=&qry=Search%3A&typ=
Lugano Skateboard Mania
Don't think you are too old to try ! The skatepark staff is keen to help everyone to approach this discipline. You can try by yourself or in a group, and they can also provide you some equipment if you lack of it.
...Otherwise...if your not confortable enough with this "thrilling" activity, don't worry,there's also place for you: in the bar just in the middle of the Park Happy Hours & Parties are organized every week on Thursday from 18.30pm with good music and drinks !
Food
The most important protagonist of the Casino of Lugano is the restaurant “La Perla Del Lago ” with its magnificent view. Every evening it offers the selected menù for the gastronomy lovers and an immense choice of the most valuable wines. In addiction, the restaurant is the meeting spot for the customers, thanks to the ad hoc organization of events and degustation evenings. During the day, the restaurant is transformed into a prestigious center for business lunch, of course, thanks to its splendid terrace located in one of the hotspots of Lugano.
Open every days:
from 12:00 to 15.00
from 19:00 to 02:00
For more information:
Tel +41 91 973 72 72
Fax +41 91 973 72 73
You can try the tipical Ticino's dishes with a wonderful atmosphere of Macconi's family.
For more information check the link....
http://www.grottoflora-bnb.ch/italiano/index.htm
or visit the virtual tour ttp://www.vrway.com/grotto_flora/
University of Lugano
The University of Lugano (Università della Svizzera italiana-USI) was founded in 1996. As a public institution , it joined the nine cantonal universities and two federal institutes of technology that form the Swiss university system. It distinguishes itself as the only university outside Italy where the official language of tuition is Italian.
Today, USI comprises four Faculties: Economics, Communication Sciences and Computer Sciences in Lugano, and Architecture in Mendrisio, for a total student population of approximately 2026 from 30 different countries, and a total teaching staff of 400 professors and assistants.
Benefiting from a unique geographic, political, and cultural location, USI has gained distinction as a multilingual and multicultural university, with a broad international outlook. It enjoys privileged relations with several Italian universities, particularly with those located in Northern Italy, and has built special collaborative or exchange partnerships with a number of foreign universities in Europe and elsewhere.
A period of practical training (internship) is an integral part of the undergraduate curriculum in general: thus by fulfilling this requirement, with a firm, institution or organisation in Switzerland or abroad, undergraduates contribute to promoting the image of a university open to the ‘real’ world of work.
Small size, direct student-teacher contact, fruitful synergies between the different disciplines (the humanistic, the socio-economic, and the technological), but also ample classroom and laboratory space as well as top-quality equipment and facilities: USI offers the ideal premises for the pursuit of learning and research.
For more information directly contact the University following the link below:
www.unisi.ch
Shopping
You are in Switzerland and this is the place for induldging into the sinful ocean of chocolate pleasure!
Now that you decided to go hedonist your direction is surely Manor at Piazza Dante.
The variety of tastes, flavours and colors will open up your senses and make you accept the challenges ahead...
Manor SA - Grandi Magazzini
Piazza Dante 2
6900 Lugano
Tel. +41 91 912 71 71
http://www.manor.ch/
by Gianna, Zorana and Daniela
Shopping
Whether you fancy pasta, sauces, fruit, cheese, salami, panetone or even outrageously expensive truffles, for sure you won't leave empty handed!
The eyecatching outlay of the food and beverage makes you excited about sharing the joy and passion of cooking with your friends and beloved ones.
However, don't be surprised about the high prices as the the quality of the goods more than makes up for it.
In case you have a dinner to organize, this is where you have to go:
Manor SA - Grandi Magazzini
Piazza Dante 2, 6900 Lugano
Tel. +41 91 912 71 71
http://www.manor.ch/
by Gianna, Zorana and Daniela