Above Lugano, Villa Carona is enthroned on the mountain. Built in 1781 as a summer residence, it was converted into a hotel in 1951. But the charm of its earlier years still lives in it. The hotel’s eighteen rooms are very traditionally furnished with old Chippendale furniture, ceiling paintings, lavish gold mirrors, chandeliers and small angels. In the hallway and dining room lurk more antiques and ageing porcelain dolls that our grandmothers once played with. The style is unique, but carried through with such consistency that it is convincing. On the contrary, the garden, with its freshness and abundance, wins you over at first sight. You want to stay here, pick grapes from the vines, put your feet up and relax. The hotel includes the restaurant La Sosta, which is notorious in Ticino for its risotto with the legendary Zincarlin cheese, just like the homemade pasta – the spaghetti alla chitarra. The menu is a mix of traditional Ticino dishes and Mediterranean Italian cuisine. Unlike the hotel, the restaurant is very minimally decorated with whitewashed walls and white-covered tables. On warm evenings, you can take a seat on the terrace under the sweet-smelling lilacs.
Piazza Noseed
6914 Corona
phone: +41 91 649 70 55
price: double from 140 € incl breakfast
