mendrisiotto

The Mendrisiotto and Basso Ceresio region is a generous and very pleasant area to discover. Its territory heralds alpine landscapes and gentle hills, and although many people still cross it without realising it, there are many good reasons to stop and discover the Mendrisiotto.

The area is dominated by Monte San Giorgio, declared a UNESCO World Natural Heritage Site in 2003 for the importance of its palaeontological findings, and by Monte Generoso, whose peak (1704 m a.s.l.), which can be reached by rack railway from Capolago, offers one of the most beautiful views in Ticino and where it is also worth stopping to visit the "Fiore di Pietra", built by the architect Mario Botta, who was born in the region. There is a wide range of cultural activities on offer in the region, with museums, the Architecture Theatre, art galleries and the Chiasso Theatre offering interesting programmes throughout the year. The MAM Card, which can be purchased at the region's art museums, allows you to get a 20% discount when visiting exhibitions at the m.a.x. Museum in Chiasso, the Vincenzo Vela Museum, the Zuest Art Gallery in Rancate, the Architecture Theatre and the Mendrisio Art Museum, which is located within the San Giovanni complex and occupies the spaces of an old convent.  

On the square in front of Mendrisio's town hall, inside Casa Croci, there is also the Museo del Trasparente, the first exhibition space dedicated to an extraordinary artistic and historical heritage: the Trasparenti, special translucent paintings whose technical peculiarity of execution and long tradition are intimately linked to the living tradition of Mendrisio's Holy Week Processions, today included in the UNESCO list of intangible cultural heritage.