From Guglielmo Tell to 'LAC Lugano Arte e Cultura'

Bernardino Luini Square

The square now known as Piazza Bernardino Luini has its origins in the second half of the nineteenth century, when—under the name Piazza Guglielmo Tell—it hosted the statue of the national hero sculpted by Vincenzo Vela in 1856. At that time, it represented the heart of the new lakefront, in a period when Lugano was beginning its transformation from a merchant town into a tourist city. With the expansion of the lakeside promenade and the construction of grand hotels — including the Grand Palace Hotel and the International au Lac — the square became a meeting and crossing point for travellers, residents, and holidaymakers from across Europe.

Over the twentieth century, its appearance underwent several changes: the statue of William Tell was relocated in 1914, and in 1942 the square was dedicated to Bernardino Luini, in honour of the Renaissance painter who created the renowned fresco in the nearby church of Santa Maria degli Angeli.

Between 2012 and 2015, with the development of the cultural hub LAC – Lugano Arte e Cultura – the square was completely redesigned. Today, with its natural stone paving and wide pedestrian areas, it ideally links Via Nassa — the elegant lounge of Lugano shopping — to the LAC, the new gateway to the city's cultural life. Piazza Luini has thus once again become a symbolic meeting place between the historic memory of hospitality and the contemporary vitality of Lugano overlooking the lake.