Why it matters: Lugano went two years without a fair-trade shop until this Bottega del Mondo opened in the Quartiere Maghetti on 1 June 2021, staffed by a team of around ten volunteers. It belongs to the Botteghe del Mondo network of Italian-speaking Switzerland, selling food and craft goods bought from producers in the global South on fair-trade terms. The city is on board too: Lugano joined the Fair Trade Town initiative in 2020 and earned supporter status in May 2023. Come for the coffee, chocolate and dried fruit, and browse the handicrafts and cosmetics for souvenirs with a better backstory than anything on Via Nassa – the Maghetti arcades are two minutes from Piazza Riforma, and the shop is closed Sundays.
Good to know
Via Giosue Carducci 3, Quartiere Maghetti - fair-trade shop - Mon-Sat, closed Sundays