Castello (Valsolda) & Gandria

CASTELLO VALSOLDA: A remote corner as evocative of the Lombard land (now on the border with Switzerland), a proud enclave of the Ambrosiana, already the theater of that "little ancient world" melancholy sung by Fogazzaro. Here, overlooking the Ceresio from one of the dense hills that surround the lake, the severe parish church of San Martino preserves an unexpected treasure, lying on its walls and on the vault, in particular, to constitute one of the wonders of the Baroque period in our region. GANDRIA: Gandria is both a quarter of the city of Lugano in the Swiss canton of Ticino, and a village on the northern shore of Lake Lugano, which forms the core of that quarter. The quarter of Gandria includes the rural slopes surrounding the village and stretching along the lakeside from the neighboring quarter of Castagnola-Cassarate to the border with Italy. It also includes the slopes on the opposite, (southern) side of the lake around the small settlement of Cantine di Gandria, that are accessible only by boat or on foot. The historically protected center of the village of Gandria, which is also not accessible by car, attracts visitors from all over the world. While roads now reach the outskirts of the village, many of these visitors arrive by boat services on the lake. It is also possible to walk from Lugano to Gandria and back to Lugano via a footpath, now branded the Olive path, which passes plantations of olive trees and offers views of the Lake of Lugano.