Sighignola

View of Lugano from the ' Balcony of Italy '

The Sighignola is a 1,302 m high mountain in the Lugano Prealps. It is located on the Italian- Swiss border, between the Italian town of Lanzo d' Intelvi (where the peak is located) and the Swiss municipalities Arogno and Lugano.

The summit is the highest point of the Val d' Intelvi and can be reached from Lanzo d' Intelvi on a street. At the summit there is a small chapel, a restaurant and a terrace with a beautiful view. The terrace is located almost exactly on the border, but still on the Italian territory. From there you can Lake Lugano and some four peaks in the Alps, including the Monte Rosa seen to the west among others. The mountain is also called " Balcony of Italy " because of the prospect.

Funicular

The late 1960s was the construction of a cable car to the Sighignola. The base station was built right on the shore of Lake Lugano at the northern end of Campione. The hill station was offset slightly below the terrace built, also a central station, some poles and the required power line. However, the project failed due to technical problems and related information in the financing. The construction company went bankrupt. The cable car never went into operation. During the mid-station is long gone, the demolition of the ruins of the mountain station began in autumn 2011.