Swiss National Sound Archives

Besso is a quarter of the city of Lugano, in the Swiss canton of Ticino. It forms the part of the city which is uphill of Lugano railway station, and is separated from the city centre by that station and its rail approaches. Besso was developed as a residential area in the late nineteenth century, driven by the opening of the railway in 1882. By 2011, it had a population of 4,993.Road access to the city centre is via a tunnel under the railway line, whilst access on foot is also possible using the station pedestrian subways, and thence the Lugano Città–Stazione funicular. Trasporti Pubblici Luganesi (TPL) bus route 3 connects Besso to the city centre, operating four or more buses per hour, whilst TPL route 16 connects an inner terminus on the Besso side of the railway station to Muzzano on a less frequent basis. The station can be directly accessed from the Besso side.The administrative headquarters, and radio studios, of Radiotelevisione svizzera di lingua italiana (RSI), the Italian language Swiss TV and radio broadcaster, are in Besso. The former seminary, dedicated to Saint Carlo Borromeo, now houses the Swiss Italian Conservatory and the Swiss National Sound Archive.Besso's church of Saint Nicholas of Flüe dates from 1950 and was built, by the architect Giuseppe Antonini, as a votive church. The facade is decorated with a mosaic by Francois Romand Ribas, whilst the separate bell tower contains five bells. The interior is notable for a bronze door by Venanzo Crocetti, a large ceramic by Angelo Biancini depicting four saints, and stained glass windows by the Swiss artist Willy Kaufmann.Besso is home to a kindergarten, an elementary school and a middle school, as well as a branch of the Federal Institute for Vocational Education and Training. The Parco Tassino is a 21,000 square metres (230,000 sq ft) public park in the south-east of the quarter, famous for its display of roses.

Lugano railway station (Italian: Stazione di Lugano) is the main railway station of the city of Lugano, in the Swiss canton of Ticino. The station is on the Gotthard railway and is also the terminus of the Lugano Città–Stazione funicular. The metre gauge Lugano–Ponte Tresa Railway (FLP) has a separate station at Lugano FLP railway station across the station forecourt from the main line station.The station is situated on a hillside to the west of the city centre, overlooking the city and Lake Lugano, and the funicular provides a direct link from the station to the city centre below. The residential quarter of Besso lies above and to the west of the station. The station is nicknamed Terrazza del Ticino ("Terrace of Ticino") since the opening of the Gotthard Base Tunnel in 2016.

Istituto Leonardo da Vinci (LdV) is a private Italian international school located in Lugano, Switzerland. It serves levels scuola primaria (primary school) through liceo (senior high school/sixth form college).

Sorengo railway station is a railway station in the municipality of Sorengo in the Swiss canton of Ticino. The station is on the metre gauge Lugano–Ponte Tresa railway (FLP), between Lugano and Ponte Tresa.The station has a single platform, served by trains in both directions.

Lugano FLP railway station (Italian: Stazione di Lugano FLP) is a railway station in the municipality of Lugano, in the Swiss canton of Ticino. It is the eastern terminus of the 1,000 mm (3 ft 3+3⁄8 in) gauge Lugano–Ponte Tresa line of Ferrovie Luganesi. The station is located in the forecourt of Swiss Federal Railways' main-line Lugano railway station. The station and line opened in 1912. Between 1990 and 1992 the Lugano FLP station was renovated and expanded. The street level building is now a restaurant, although the platforms remain in use at the lower level.

The old Church of Santa Lucia in Massagno, canton of Ticino, Switzerland, was built in the 16th century and demolished in 1931 because of the extension of the Via San Gottardo. The new parish church of Santa Lucia was built to replace it in 1931 a few hundred metres from the square of the old church."The year of construction is not clearly indicated... An element for [its] determination...can be taken from the picture of the Adoration of the Magi...created by Bernardino Luini (or under his direction by his pupils) around the middle of the 16th century as a fresco above the altar." The frescoes and paintings from the old church, some from the 16th century, are now in the new church, including the 16th-century fresco of the Adoration of the Magi, which was transferred to canvas, and the paintings of the Annunciation (1636) and of Santa Lucia (17th century).

The Lugano Città–Stazione funicular, Funicolare Lugano Città–Stazione, or Sassellina, is a funicular railway in the city of Lugano in the Swiss canton of Ticino. The line's upper station is located within the main railway station of Lugano, and the lower station is on Piazza Cioccaro in the historic city centre below. It is one of the busiest funicular lines in Switzerland, carrying 2.4 million passengers in 2007.The Lugano Città–Stazione funicular is one of three funiculars within the Lugano area. The other two are the Monte Brè funicular, which ascends Monte Brè, and the Monte San Salvatore funicular, which ascends Monte San Salvatore.

Franklin University Switzerland is a private university in Lugano, Switzerland. Founded in 1969, Franklin is one of the oldest American institutions of higher education in Europe and the first to be established in Switzerland. Franklin offers Bachelor of Arts and Master of Science degrees accredited in both the United States and Switzerland.

Lugano Cathedral (Italian: Cattedrale di San Lorenzo) is a Roman Catholic cathedral dedicated to Saint Lawrence in Lugano, Ticino, Switzerland. It was founded in the High Middle Ages but rebuilt in the late 15th century, with the façade completed in 1517. It is the seat of the Bishop of Lugano.

Sorengo is a municipality in the district of Lugano in the canton of Ticino in Switzerland.

The Lugano degli Angioli funicular (Italian: Funicolare Lugano degli Angioli) was a funicular railway and inclined lift in the city of Lugano in the Swiss canton of Ticino. It linked a lower terminus near the lakeside and the church of Santa Maria degli Angioli with an upper terminus adjacent to the Hotel Bristol. The upper station was on the third floor of a tower, linked with a footbridge to the hotel. The line had a single track and single car, which was balanced by a vertically operating counterweight in the tower.When in operation, the line was 142 metres (466 ft) in length and climbed a vertical distance of 53 metres (174 ft), with a maximum gradient of 44% and an average gradient of 38.7%. It was of 1,000 mm (3 ft 3+3⁄8 in) gauge. The single car had 4 compartments and a maximum capacity of 26 passengers.The line opened in 1913. In 1973 it was gifted by its owner to the City of Lugano. The Hotel Bristol closed in 1981, and the funicular followed in 1986. The line remains in existence, in an abandoned state. In 2012 the line was listed as a cultural property of regional significance. In April 2018 the Lugano city authorities announced a competition, with a CHF36,000 prize, for the best idea for a future for the funicular. In September of the same year, the same authorities requested a loan of CHF325,000 for a study into the future of the funicular and how it could form part of a wider plan for improved access to the lake. It is estimated that restoration as a static monument would cost CHF2.6 million, and a return to operation would cost CHF5.5 million.

Loreto is a quarter of the city of Lugano, in the Swiss canton of Ticino. It forms the part of the city which surrounds the shrine of Our Lady of Loreto to the south of the city center, and includes the Lake Lugano waterfront south of the city centre but north of Paradiso. In 2011, it had a population of 3,221.