Porlezza, sits on the Eastern shore of Lake Lugano, and like all the towns in this area benefits from a wonderful microclimate that allows a wonderful growth of verdant foliage almost to the tops of the mountains. In winter the tree line is high and although the greenery has lost its leaves in autumn you can still see the how high the trees reach. Because of this and the easy access to mountain trails, the region is very attractive to hikers, walkers, photographers and the outdoor enthusiast. Apparently there are even naturist areas for the more adventurous......

Porlezza is a typical medieval town with a number of baroque works important locally for their artistic content. Monuments worth visiting are the Romanesque oratory of St. Maurizio and St. Maria dei miracoli (16th century).

Porlezza is in the region of Ceresio in the North East region of Lake Lugano. Although not as important tourist destination as either Lugano or Porlezza it provides a lot of advantages as a place to rest, recuperate, philosophise, hike, walk, fish and even down the road in Lugano, shop!

To see how to get there, (visit our map page) you can get there from Switzerland or from Italy. From Italy take the Statale Regina to Argegno and then go through Val d'Intelvi, or approaching from Menaggio take the junction up over the pass to Porlezza.

If you want to see more on how to get there, see our "Travelling to Porlezza" page or "Airports" page.