The Grand Cafe Al Porto is a historic Lugano institution, a beautiful cafe founded in 1803 in the heart of the old town, complete with an ornate frescoed former chapel room upstairs. Long a gathering place for the city’s society, it serves fine coffee, celebrated pastries and cakes, aperitifs and light meals in surroundings of old-world elegance. Steeped in history and charm, it is a lovely spot for a leisurely coffee, an evening drink or a taste of the city’s genteel cafe culture and traditions.