Lugano

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Geo: 45.9841, 9.02386

We had a short drive today to our next accommodation. Along the way we took a short diversion into one of the small hilltop towns. The streets are very narrow and car traffic is limited. At the entrance to the town there is a parking lot. From there it is a walking tour. Occasionally there were service vehicles and pedestrians have to find a doorway to enter so vehicles can pass. Generally this would be fine except that in the true Italian tradition drivers travel as fast as possible.

Our destination is a Villa in a small town. The building has been renovated years ago. The apartment is large. The setting is very pleasant with park like grounds and the entry is gated. There is a resident dog as well.

Once we settled in it was noon so we decided to drive to Lugano which is close by as the bird flies. We are located quite high up so the trip to Lugano is steep with many switchbacks. Most of the driving was in first or second gear.

Unknown to us today is Republic Day (holiday) so the town was packed with people. Thankfully after driving almost all the way through town we found a parking lot with a few spaces open.

The town itself is located right on Lake Lugano so walking the waterfront was very pleasant. This is obviously a destination for the rich and famous considering the stores and the vehicles on the road.

We returned to our accommodation and walked into the local village for dinner. Because of the holiday places were very busy. We found a restaurant with a table on the lower patio. It turned out to be entertaining because there was a large family dinner on the patio above with lots of kids.

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