Its role as capital of Italian-speaking Switzerland almost guarantees that Lugano's selection of merchandise will include a cosmopolitan blend of Teutonic and Mediterranean merchandise. Most of it can be viewed along either side of the resort's main shopping street, via Nassa.
You'll find five floors of department-store shopping at everybody's favorite large store, Manor, piazza Dante (tel. 091/912-76-99). A roughly equivalent department store, with some gift items and more of an emphasis on foodstuffs, groceries, hardware, and housewares, is Migros, via Pretorio 15 (tel. 091/913-72-13). If you're looking for chocolates and pastries, head for a bakery that many locals remember from their childhood, Münger, via Luvini 4 (tel. 091/985-69-43).