Sleeping until we’re done and pizza for breakfast at 📍Acqua e Farina (margherita di buffala of course) is hard to beat as the start of a vacation day. The 14 hours of sleep was more than enough to recuperate from the 36-hour day we spent getting here. Finding a prize-winning pizzeria really completed the breakfast experience (what most people call lunch).
This morning we discovered that Karine cannot register the name of the currency in Switzerland. She'll call it either Euro (at 1.05€ to the CHF it’s not too far off) or French Franc (a currency the French left behind in 2002 that had a 0.15€ to the Franc conversion, quite far off). The confusion is understandable as everything feels Italian here, even if we’re still in Switzerland. We resolved to call the money “Units” which stuck in both of our brains easily and really does capture the duality of the feel of the place, neither fully Swiss nor fully Italian. We also found it hilarious so that helped.
After breakfast we left for Mount Brè, one of the two local mountains you can hike from the city. Considered the sunniest mountain in Switzerland, mount Brè is home to the village of the same name, multiple restaurants at its summit and a cable car to the summit. None of which we cared about. We chose the hike because it’s a loop (no boring out and back for us) and, very importantly, its “epic views” tag on AllTrails. If we’re going uphill there better be something to see! (⛰️ Cssarate - Monte Bré on AllTrails)
We extended the 11km loop by walking to the beginning of the hike from the Airbnb, making it a 17km hike with 707 meters of elevation gain. It took us a little more than 4 hours to complete, which is a decent pace. At such a pace we only stopped for the gorgeous and plentiful views on the trail, netting us multiple sets of what we felt were different pictures but ended up being the same picture from slightly different angles. We didn’t stop at one of the multiple restaurants near the summit and the village of Brè, which advertise what we already had plenty of: “stunning views over the lake”. One lesson we learned in our travels over the years: The more they talk about how good the views are; the less likely your are to talk about how good their food was.
Cassarate - Monte Bré, Ticino, Switzerland - 16 Reviews, Map | AllTrails
Head out on this 7.3-mile loop trail near Brè sopra Lugano, Ticino. Generally considered a moderately challenging route, it takes an average of 4 h 32 min to complete. This trail is great for hiking, and it's unlikely you'll encounter many other people while exploring. The trail is open year-round and is beautiful to visit anytime.
www.alltrails.com
Home from the hike we rested for a couple of hours before walking 30 minutes uphill to 📍Grotto Figini, a mixed grill restaurant that was very happy we accepted the hike to eat at their establishment. It’s neither a hard hike up nor is it unpleasant with it being mostly on quiet side streets and public stairs, but it’s understandable that most people would go for the offer in town instead of the hike.