?php /** * Slow Switzerland — Credentials * Copy this file to credentials.php and fill in your values. * NEVER commit credentials.php to git. */ // Database define('DB_HOST', 'localhost'); // e.g. localhost define('DB_NAME', 'switzerland_slow'); // e.g. slowswitzerland define('DB_USER', 'switzerland_slow'); // e.g. db_user define('DB_PASS', 'AfTLqz9dWDcPDwE525b4'); // your database password // Anthropic API define('ANTHROPIC_API_KEY', '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'); // your Anthropic API key // Admin credentials define('ADMIN_USER', 'admin'); define('ADMIN_PASS_HASH', '$2y$10$.hRzuLeq26fZ1V68t1ajCeRwkSwqggosZdeoD4zvl61C1DyH88w0K'); // generate with: php -r "echo password_hash('yourpassword', PASSWORD_DEFAULT);" // Site URL (optional — defaults to https://slowswitzerland.com) // define('SITE_URL', 'https://slowswitzerland.com'); Lugano — Slow Travel Guide — Slow Switzerland
Lugano, Switzerland

Lugano

Switzerland with an Italian soul.

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I went to Lugano at the end of my semester, when the rest of Switzerland was still cold. Suddenly there were palm trees and piazzas and espresso that tasted like it came from across the border — because the border was twenty minutes away. I met Richard in a hostel dorm. He was eighty, American, and traveling with crutches. We went to Como together, slowly. He taught me that the best travel companions are the ones you never planned for.

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Hidden places, quiet walks, and the spots locals actually go to in Ticino.

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Stories

Personal essays and slow travel stories from Lugano and beyond.

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What makes Lugano slow travel perfect

Lugano feels like Switzerland decided to dream in Italian. The palm trees along the lakeside promenade, the terracotta rooftops, the sound of Italian lilting through piazza conversations — it's a gentle culture shock from the German-speaking north. But look closer and the Swiss precision is still there: the trains run on time, the parks are immaculate, the espresso is perfect. This is where three cultures meet without collision. The pace here is different. Not slower exactly, but more generous. Meals last longer. Conversations wander further. The afternoon light on Monte San Salvatore lasts what feels like hours. Lugano doesn't demand anything from you except your attention.