With its bright yellow umbrellas, reclining chairs and lush vegetation, Grotto Descanso is located in a lovely position at the Cantine di Gandria, across the lake from Lugano. Here you can relax in the shade under the beautiful pergolas and enjoy a cold drink while taking in the views. The grotto also serves typical local cuisine and wines, perfect to quench your thirst on a hot summer day.

We suggest the Grotto Descanso, near the Cantine di Gandria, where we ate very well during a summer visit. Continuing our walk, we reach the Belvedere Garden, a panoramic terrace full of greenery and relaxation areas and an excellent observation point for photography lovers. Behind it stands the majestic building of the LAC (Lugano Arte e Cultura), a cultural centre built in 2015 that houses the Museum of Contemporary Art of Italian Switzerland.

Before refrigerators were a thing, discovering a cool place to keep your food was a fabulous discovery. Caves inside of the mountain provided this function for the inhabitants of the area and they were able to preserve food. Nicola took us into his grotto; the coolness and smell was reminiscent of walking into my grandparents’ cantina in Italy.

We took a leisurely walk from the train station down some stairs through the center of Lugano to the lakefront where Nicola was waiting for us with his boat. That was it, just the four of us. Nicola is the owner of Grotto Descanso, just a 20 minute ferry or water taxi ride across Lake Lugano to Gandria.

Nestled in a picturesque setting, Grotto Descanso in Lugano offers visitors the chance to sample the various delicacies of the Ticino territory. This hidden gem provides a unique dining experience in a charming grotto, where history, nature, and gastronomy come together.