Planning a trip to the Swiss canton of Ticino? Then you should check out the new Ticino Gourmet Tour website — available in English, French, German and Italian. It offers an online directory of gastronomic experiences in Switzerland’s Italian-speaking canton. Search by region to discover restaurants, vineyards, hotels, activities and more. The four regions include the following: Ascona – Locarno, Bellinzona and Valleys, Lugano and Mendrisiotto.

According to the Ticino Gourmet Tour, visitors to their region spend on average about 4.5 hours each day at the table for mealtimes. Given this estimate, they want to help people find the best places to experience Ticinese cuisine. This Swiss canton offers a wealth of culinary specialties for you to try, such as polenta, risotto, cured meats, local cheeses, wine and spirits, and many others.

Dozens of Ticinese Restaurants to Choose From

The restaurants listed in the directory must go through a rigorous selection process, demonstrating an emphasis on local ingredients. At the same time, Ticino Gourmet Tour wants to highlight modern interpretations of traditional Ticinese dishes. When you search for restaurants, you can filter the list by category, such as grottos, family restaurants, pizzerias or vegetarian dining.

This platform highlights the work of talented chefs in the region, such as Egidio Iadonisi of the Olimpia restaurant in Lugano. For a press event with a group of chefs from Ticino at the Hôtellerie de Châtonneyre in Corseaux (Vaud), Mr. Iadonisi prepared a comforting dish of stewed veal with a hearty Ticinese polenta. His restaurant in Lugano, centrally located in the Piazza Riforma, is known for its Mediterranean specialties and pinse (traditional Roman pizza).

Gastronomic Activities

In addition to restaurants and hotels, Ticino Gourmet Tour highlights gastronomic activities by region. For example, you’ll find information about food and wine tours and thematic trails in the vineyards. You can also learn about where to taste Zincarlin cheese, one of Switzerland’s Slow Food Presidi products. Not only that, but you’ll also find recipes via RSI Food from the region.

Ticino’s Rich Culinary History

From its mountain valleys to the shores of Lake Lugano, Ticino offers a wealth of gastronomic experiences. In addition, it’s home to several thousand winemakers, with Merlot grapes representing about 80 percent of the land devoted to vineyards. To help visitors connect to all these wonderful places and experiences, this online directory presents all this various information in one convenient place.

For more information about the Ticino Gourmet Tour, please contact Sapori Ticino Sagl, Via Beltramina 15b, 6900 Lugano, +41 (0)91 976 06 00, info@saporiticino.ch.

Please note: I attended the press event for the Ticino Gourmet Tour at the Hôtellerie de Châtonneyre as a guest of Sapori Ticino. As always, the thoughts and opinions expressed in this article are purely my own.