stillLUV2go

Day 5 - On this day we can choose to spend a free day in Milan or take the Optional Excursion to Lugano, Switzerland From Milan we will travel by bus, about an hour and a half, across the Swiss border to Lugano, the  largest city in southern Switzerland's Italian-speaking canton of Ticino.  Lugano is on the northern shore of Lake Lugano,  south of the first ridge of the Alps, but it is surrounded by mountains, two of which are the "twin peaks" of Monte Bre' and Monte San Salvadore.  The city of Lugano is 63% in Switzerland.  The remaining 37%, mostly smaller communities, is in Italy.  Lugano is one of Switzerland's most important financial cities with its conference, banking and business center.  While the citizens of Lugano might be busy at work while we are there, we hope to enjoy "dolce far niente" - an Italian idiom meaning "pleasant relaxation in carefree idleness"- while we soak in the beauty of Lugano's mountain scenery,

Day 4  - On this day we will travel to Milan for a guided tour of the city. MILANO CC0 https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Milan_skyline_wikivoyage_banner.jpg   by Daniel Case  CC BY-SA 3.0 CC BY-SA  Since being settled in the 4th century B.C. at the gateway to the Italian peninsula, between the River Po and the foothills of the Alps, Milan and the surrounding area of Lombardy have been the subject of constant disputes over the centuries.  Celts, Romans, Goths, Lombards, Spaniards and Austrians have all ruled the city at some stage of its history.  Eventually, Milan capitalized on its position and emerged as the undisputed economic and cultural powerhouse of Italy. Read Milan history :  www.milanexplorer.it Galleria Vittorio Emanuele ll Galleria Vittorio Emanuele II is Milan's version of a shopping mall.  Formed like a Latin Cross, its dome is 154' high.  Statues below it honor artists and scientists.  Mosaics are of Europe, America, A