Map of Ticino districts. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

The southernmost canton of Switzerland is Ticino. It has 8 districts and borders the Canton of Uri (to the north), Valais (to the west), Graubünden (to the northeast) and Italy’s regions of Piedmont and Lombardy to the south (and it has a small Italian exclave, Campione d’Italia).

In Ticino, named after the Ticino river, which flows through it from the Nufenen Pass to Lago Maggiore. Italian is the official language (like in southern sections of Graubünden).

Tisino is split geographically in two parts by the Monte Ceneri pass. The Sopraceneri – in the north – is formed by two major Swiss valleys around Lago aggiore: Valle del Ticino and Valle Maggia. The region around the Lago di Lugano is the southern part, also called Sottoceneri.

Its nickname “Sonnenstube der Schweiz” comes from the 2,300 sunshine hours the canton receives every year, compared to 1,700 for Zurich. But Ticino is also “prone to fierce storms and has the highest level of lightning discharge in the whole of Europe”.

If you are interested in hiking in Ticino, Ti-Sentieri is a very good site to plan your journey.

You can choose to start by one of the valleys, choose an intinerary and check the huts (capanne). On the site Capanneti.ch you can have a look at the different huts available.

Make sure that before your first hike you gather all the information you need, by visiting Ticino-Sentieri , where you can find emergency numbers, the kind of roadsigns you’ll find on your path (segnaletica), the rules of conduct (regole comportamentali), and what to do before you start your hike.

In Ticino you can find about 3,000 kilometres of marked paths and trails. It is a real “playground for outdoor activities” from spring until autumn.

“The choice ranges from relaxing walks along lakeshores to challenging alpine tours, and from artistic and cultural itineraries to gastronomic excursions among vineyards and alpine pastures. The main local tourist offices of Ticino organize as well guided tours of their region. Some of them are free of charge.”

There are hiking itineraries in Bellinzona and upper valleys, the Lago Maggiore and valleys, routes around Lago di Lugano and valleys here, but you can also find very interesting biking itineraries, mountain bike itineraries and, if you prefer, guided excursions. But there are also itineraries for nordic walking,

View of the upper lake from above Brissago, Switzerland (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

If you’re looking for playgrounds for kids, have a look at parchi giochi in Ticino.

On the Ticino/Switzerland site, you can even find a map where to plan and trace your personal itinerary.

But Ticino is not only sports during summer: there is the Film Festival  in Locarno and many more cultural events.

And about the region called “Sottoceneri” (South of the Ceneri), I can recommend the blog expatwithkids. A more general blog about life in Switzerland with also a part about Ticino is  Swissinfo.

You can find some culinary tips here. You can also plan to visit a cheese dairy or a chocolate factory. If you travel with children, there are plenty of family destinations, trips, outings here.

Related articles

• Enjoying Southern Switzerland: Ticino (mw093082.wordpress.com)
• Explore Ticino with Whole Journeys (wholefoodsmarket.com)