Ticino, Switzerland

Capital City: Bellinzona
Closest Airport: Lugano Airport
Population: 324,851
Resort Area: Airolo - Bosco Gurin - Olivone
Snow Season: Mid-December - end March
Main Language: Italian
Currency: Swiss Franc

Selling Ticino to the tourists has never been a particularly taxing proposition. With Lake Maggiore at its centre, pictures of people messing about in boats, relaxing by the water's edge or getting happily inebriated at one of the many bars that line the shore tend to speak for themselves. This is pretty much Italy after all. People here know how to relax.

Images of snowboarders pulling 360s are less forthcoming, but that's not to say there's nothing going on in the hills above the lake. Like Fribourg, the mountains in Ticino are best suited to beginners and families, but there are terrain parks and cross country trails here too. The biggest resort in the region is Airolo. Cari and Bosco Gurin are also popular.