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Throughout the year several different events, including Easter in the City, Estival Jazz, Blues to Bop, Autumn Festival and Christmas in the Square, take place here. But in the past, when the square was called Piazza Grande, it was the scene of several political events. In fact, the 15th February 1798 was a chaotic day of fighting, at the end of which, despite initial success, the enemy was pushed back by the Lugano partisans. The most enlightened members of the bourgeois took advantage of events to finally achieve long-sought independence for the town, buoyed by the slogan “Free and Swiss”. At Zurich the twelve cantons proclaimed Canton Ticino’s independence and on 16 February the citizens erected the tree of liberty in Piazza Grande. In 1830, the square took on its current name thanks to the constitutional reform.
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A street in the city centre and one of the main hubs of the business and social life of Lugano, where historic buildings and modern shops of international brands can be found.
At the main entrance of the Civic park, on the lakeshore, there is a statue of William Tell by Vincenzo Vela, sculpted by the artist in 1856.
The third palace built by the Riva family in Lugano dates to the mid-18th Century and was built thanks to the initiative of Giovanni Battista.
Lugano’s new cultural centre, LAC Lugano Arte e Cultura was created with the aim of adding value to the cultural and artistic life of the city and the region. It is endowed with a concert and theatre hall and a museum, the first in the region designed for this purpose.
The Church of Santa Maria degli Angeli is the most important church of Lugano. It contains the famous Renaissance fresco of the Passion and the Crucifixion by the Italian artist Bernardino Luini.
A remarkable building with a Renaissance facade. Inside there are many frescoes and valuable Baroque decorations.