Lugano — The Duce's Missing Treasure

Your journey begins at Lugano Station (Stazione di Lugano), inaugurated in 1885 as the northern terminus of the Gotthard railway line. Rebuilt in a rationalist style by Max Huber in 1937-1938, this station, with its 5 active tracks and 10,000 m² of covered platforms, was a strategic point for goods transport during World War II. It was here that smuggling networks and secret agents operated, blending Ticino's border traffic history with major geopolitical stakes. Lugano station, a true gateway to Ticino, still echoes with these discreet transits and information exchanged in the shadows.

From the station, take Via Nassa, a commercial street paved since the 17th century, the main artery connecting Lugano Station to the city center. 650 meters long, it is lined with arcades built between 1800 and 1900, offering discreet shelter. Named after the noble von Nassau family, landowners in the Middle Ages, this street has been a nerve center of Ticino's trade since the opening of Swiss customs in 1848. Spies of the era used it for their secret meetings, mixing legitimate transactions and information exchanges under the cover of the arcades, observing the constant flow of passers-by.

Your investigation then leads you to Palazzo Civico, built in 1844 in a neoclassical style by architect Giacomo Tazzini. Home to Lugano's Municipio since 1848, the year the Canton of Ticino was created, its facade is adorned with allegorical frescoes painted in 1896 by Ermanno Ròsani. Its clock tower, added in 1901 and 45 meters high, overlooked the city, serving as a landmark for agents. The corridors of this building witnessed countless political and administrative decisions, some directly related to the financial flows and goods transiting through Ticino during the war years.

Continue towards Lungolago di Lugano, a lakeside promenade developed from 1840 along Lake Lugano (Lago di Lugano). Its rectilinear layout, created between 1920 and 1925 by embanking the shoreline, gained 20,000 m² of land. Planted with century-old plane trees dating back to 1890, this promenade offers a viewpoint of Monte Brè (925 m). This recreational spot was also an ideal observation point for agents monitoring the lake and movements between Switzerland and Italy. Ticino's heritage is revealed here, between nature and urban development, testifying to the strategic importance of this border crossroads.

Finally, Parco Ciani, created in 1806 by Marquis Paolo Ciani and expanded to 63,000 m² in 1920, with its 700 exotic plant varieties, and Cattedrale di San Lorenzo, whose Baroque facade was completed in 1630, with its Romanesque bell tower from 1313 and a fresco by Bernardo Luini from 1526, complete your journey. These sites, along with LAC Lugano Arte e Cultura inaugurated in 2015 and the Funicolare Lugano Città-Stazione dating from 1886, have allowed you to discover a multifaceted Lugano. You have navigated between the secrets of Ticino's heritage and historical stakes, revealing Lugano's crucial role in 20th-century events and understanding the importance of national monuments like Cattedrale San Lorenzo.