Morcote, Gandria and Monte Brè

At 9 am the shutters swing open onto the lake: the shuttle boat cuts a silver line, Santa Maria del Sasso’s bells carry across the water, and the cypress shadows in the Scherrer Park slip downhill. Ten minutes later we roll south to Morcote, 12 km from Lugano, climb the 406 steps to the 15th‑century church, and peek at the eclectic Art Nouveau statuary in the park founded by Hermann Arthur Scherrer in 1930. The Brissago Islands sit low on the horizon while vine‑covered pergolas hint at grotti serving polenta and brasato.

From there, the day moves at your pace: hotel pick‑up in Lugano, a Mercedes at your disposal, flexible stops whenever something catches your eye. Your dedicated driver takes the lakeside road to Gandria, once a tight‑knit fishing hamlet, then winds up to Monte Brè (925 m) for pinpoint views over the gulf, Melide, and the San Salvatore ridge. You explore and sit down to a risotto in a trusted grotto while they handle parking, bookings, and timing, before an easy return via Castagnola.