20 Facts About Ticino

Name Ticino was chosen for the newly established canton in 1803, after the river Ticino which flows through it from the Novena Pass to Lake Maggiore.

Lands of the canton of Ticino are the last lands to be conquered by the Swiss Confederation.

Between 1798 and 1803, during the Helvetic Republic, two cantons were created but in 1803 the two were unified to form the canton of Ticino that joined the Swiss Confederation as a full member in the same year under the Act of Mediation.

However, contrary to those cantons, all settlements of Ticino are on the south side of the Alps, therefore separated from the Swiss Plateau by the great Alpine barrier.

Ticino, which gives its name to the canton, is the largest river of Ticino.

Related searches

Climate of Ticino is mostly influenced by the Mediterranean Sea, the Alps protecting it from north Europe weather.

Climate of Ticino is highly diverse as elevations range from Lake Maggiore, affected by subtropical climate, to the high Alps, affected by subarctic and tundra climate.

Current Constitution of the Republic and Canton of Ticino, originating from a draft approved on 18 August 1801 during the Helvetic Republic, was approved on 14 December 1997.

Since a referendum in September 2013, Ticino is the only Swiss canton where wearing full-face veils is illegal.

In September 2016, Ticino voters approved a Swiss People's Party-sponsored referendum that gives precedence to Swiss workers, as opposed to foreign workers, defying freedom of movement agreements between Switzerland and the EU.

The former condominiums and Leventina became the eight districts of the canton of Ticino, which exist to the present day and are provided for by the cantonal constitution.

In 2016, Ticino was the European region with the second highest life expectancy at 85.

Ticino is counted among the most prosperous regions of Switzerland and of Europe.

Three of the world's largest gold refineries are based in Ticino, including the Pamp refinery in Castel San Pietro, the leading manufacturer of minted gold bars.

The high Alps of Ticino include numerous tourist facilities such as the Monte Generoso Railway, the Ritom Funicular and the Cardada Cableway.

Regional Bus and Rail Company of Ticino provides the urban and suburban bus network of Locarno, operates the cable cars between Verdasio and Rasa, and between Intragna – Pila – Costa on behalf of the owning companies, and, together with an Italian company, the Centovalli and Vigezzina Railway which connects the Gotthard trans-Alpine rail route at Locarno with the Simplon trans-Alpine route at Domodossola, with further connections with Brig in Valais.

Cultural identity of Ticino is complex and is marked by its long history as a bailiwick of the Swiss Confederacy, until its independence of 1803.

Ticino is particularly known for its rich architectural heritage, ranging from the anonymous rock architecture of grottos and splui, over Romanesque and baroque to contemporary styles.

Local products of Ticino, called Nostrani, include a large variety of cheeses, meat specialities such as salami and prosciutto, and wines, especially red merlot.

Sweet products of Ticino notably include the Torta di Pane, a cake made with stale bread softened in milk and containing dried and candied fruits, and Panettone, a yeast-leavened bread containing candied fruits.