| Description |
Lake Lugano (Italian: Lago di Lugano or Ceresio) is a glacial lake in the south-east of Switzerland, at the border between Switzerland and Italy. The lake, named after the city of Lugano, is situated between Lake Como and Lago Maggiore. It was cited for the first time by Gregory of Tours with the name Ceresio in 590 AD, a name which is said to have derived from the Latin word cerasus, meaning cherry, and refers to the abundance of cherry trees which at one time adorned the shores of the lake. The lake appears in documents in 804 under the name Laco Luanasco.
The lake is 48.7km2 in size, 63% of which is in Switzerland and 37% in Italy, has an average width of roughly a kilometre, a maximum depth of 288m found in the northern basin and bathing in the lake is allowed at any of the 50 or so bathing establishments located along the Swiss shores. The Italian waters of the lake and the exclave of Campione d'Italia are considered by Italian law as non-territorial for fiscal purposes and as such enjoy a special tax status as a duty free area, exemption from EU VAT and offer residents other advantageous tax privileges (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lake_Lugano) |