Is anyone living in Ticino and what are your experience with the life there?
I am a self employed entrepreneur from Zurich, used to work 80% from my offices and now in corona WFH times it is close to 100%, so I can really afford to move anywhere in Switzerland as long as there is internet access.
Jura and Ticino are my favorites so far, Jura because one can still buy large properties there without having neighbours breathing down your neck and Ticino because it's warmer, close to water / Milano and also has very nice properties in nature.
I have seen very nice, standalone houses close to Italian border and while I love them I am worried about security of my family.
According Swiss crime atlas Ticino is not that bad (French speaking cantons are the worst) but this is "big picture" statistics, personal experiences also matter.
I have lived in Ticino myself for almost 4 years, and I still do.
Life is good, the weather is nicer and "warmer", the sun shines more than in the german part and the winters are milder.
As far as the costs are concerned, there is a big plus, because a lot of things cost less in Ticino, for example gym abo, eating out cost from 30 to 40 % less than in the german part, and you can save a lot of money doing your grocery in italy, which has also better quality for less money.
At the same time you get a society which is not so international and kind of "provincial".
But train connections are good and you can go from Lugano to Zürich in less than 2 hours with the train (from 13th december), so you can easily go back for the weekend if u wish to, or maintain the contact to the german part.
I have the feeling that the job market is not so good as in the german part but its not even that bad.
A friend of mine lives in a small village above Ponte Tresa, and another near Chiasso. They both have internet speeds of 100mb and Swisscom is now upgrading the line with fibre optic, so you should be ok.
As Tom says though, outside the big cities you really need a car as public transport service is not that frequent during the day and almost non existent at night.
We moved down here in August from Aargau and I certainly don't miss the Aargau fog. It's been a fantastic autumn.
I like it here. We are still trying to figure out what to buy where and it's disappointing that some chains just don't service the Ticino at all (e.g. Landi, Lumimart, etc.). I would say that we probably do more shopping online now (although that may also be more COVID related, as we are also blocked from shopping in Italy now).
Traffic can be brutal in some places, so it pays to plan your trips. But that isn't any different from anywhere else.
Few years ago I moved from Lausanne to Vaud country inside and it was the best thing to myself and my family.
Due to corona situation I had to move to the other part of CH and even if I learned German in the school, I must admit that I’ve used much more French, Italian and English than German.
This brief it’s just to advise you that the language could be a challenge however not a barrier/block.
Make sure you have the provisions (food and etc) at your hand and less car dependent.... I mean, that what I did when I was in a “rural area”....
My best wishes for you and if you allow my suggestion, I would consider Jura. :-)
Locarno area is good if you're from Northern switzerland or Germany - You can speak german and get home quicker. Pretty useless otherwise. Takes ages to get to any civilization/culture/airport etc.
The closure of Lugano airport was a minor annoyance, but MXP is only 45 minutes and train connections northward are now quicker. And who needs to travel these days anyway?
Security? I leave my house and cars unlocked. Would never occur to me to do anything else. How would anyone get in if they needed to otherwise? Never even heard of anyone being the victim of crime (assuming you don't include the antics of some local tradespeople when it comes to billing....)
I live in a rural'ish village about 20 minutes from Lugano / 10 minutes from motorway. I can see Italy over the lake. No other houses directly around me, plenty of space. No fibre in my village but 4G works well.
Can't imagine how you'd survive without a car. I don't know anyone without one. You'd be a hermit.
I'd say choose where you live carefully. Some areas are plagued by bad commuter traffic but others devoid of it.
Ok got it. My other half's job will be in Lugano but we're not sure where we will base ourselves for the moment. He doesn't like commuting so I guess we'll try to live as close to there as possible.
According to this website Lugano and Sion are neck and neck for hours of sunshine per year. In the Valais, as in most mountainous areas, you have to be careful of shadows. If you are in Montana (VS), it won‘t be an issue. On the South side, it could well be. Similar issue in some places in Glarus for example.