CommunicationPublished on 14 September 2022

Destination: Svizzera italiana

At the invitation of the Canton of Ticino, a special train leaves Bern on 14 September 2022 for Lugano in the Italian-speaking canton of Ticino to mark Ignazio Cassis' presidential year. The party includes Federal Councillor Guy Parmelin, members of Parliament, Federal Administration staff and distinguished guests from all across Switzerland. The train makes four stops along the way to allow Mr Cassis to meet representatives of cantonal and communal authorities and members of the public.

Plurality and innovation: the themes of Ignazio Cassis's year as president also accompany the festive day organised by Canton Ticino. — © FDFA

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11am, Bern railway station. A special train receives the President of the Swiss Confederation. Destination: Lugano. The journey to Lugano exemplifying Switzerland's cultural and linguistic diversity follows the old Gotthard route. The train make three stops: in Airolo, Biasca and Bellinzona. In Lugano, the authorities host an event to mark Mr Cassis's presidential year. The festivities had originally been scheduled to take place in December 2021 but had to be postponed because of the COVID-19 pandemic.

The day is capped with a return journey to Bern under the banner of ‹innovation›. The journey across the Alps can now be accomplished much faster than before the construction of the record-setting Gotthard Base Tunnel, which has brought the north and south of the country closer together. Diversity and innovation are two winning Swiss characteristics which continue to mark the various stages of Ignazio Cassis's presidential year of 2022.

Image gallery

The Ticino delegation welcomes President of the Swiss Confederation Ignazio Cassis and passengers on the special train in Berne. — © FDFA

All aboard! President of the Confederation Ignazio Cassis and Federal Councillor Guy Parmelin arrive at the Bern railway station. — © FDFA

The special train departs from Bern for the Italian-speaking part of Switzerland. On board, people from all over the country accompany Federal President Ignazio Cassis. — © FDFA

First stop in Ticino: Airolo! Welcoming the special train and President of the Swiss Confederation Ignazio Cassis are representatives of the municipal and district authorities, a delegation from the canton of Uri, school pupils, inhabitants and the Airolo Philharmonic. — © FDFA

Arrival in Biasca, where the mayor hands Paola Cassis a bouquet of flowers. Here the Cassis couple is reunited with part of their family. — © FDFA

In Bellinzona, the President of the Swiss Confederation Ignazio Cassis meets the population and the President of the Grand Council Gina La Mantia. — © FDFA

Lugano, final destination! In the home region of Ignazio Cassis, the population takes the lead. "This is your celebration!". The official ceremony takes place on the Piazza della Riforma. — © FDFA

The symbolic moments continue in Lugano. People, languages, cultures and dialogue will remain the protagonists of the rest of the year 2022. — © FDFA

The symbolic moments continue at the Lugano Exhibition Centre. President of the Federal Assembly. People, languages, cultures and dialogue will remain the protagonists of the rest of the year 2022. — © FDFA

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Four stops on the way to Lugano

The presidential train stops in Airolo, Biasca, Bellinzona and Lugano to allow President Cassis to meet with local government representatives and citizens from across Italian-speaking Switzerland. Each of the Ticinese communes along the route present a representative photographas a gift to the President of the Swiss Confederation.

@ignaziocassis, social media platform X, 14.09.2022

• Airolo

  The train journey from Göschenen to Airolo takes less than eight minutes thanks to the Gotthard Tunnel, a feat of engineering built in the early 1880s. The tunnel was made possible by a treaty Switzerland signed with Germany and Italy and the tireless dedication of thousands of workers. Vincenzo Vela's Victims of Labour monument commemorates the hundreds workers who died during the building of the Gotthard Tunnel.

  

  The first stop of the special train is in Airolo. On the platform, President Ignazio Cassis and the passengers are welcomed to Ticino by the authorities, residents and schoolchildren. — © DFAE

  President Cassis is welcomed by representatives of Airolo and Leventina district, who present him with two photographs of the region, and by a delegation from the Canton of Uri.

  • Acquarossa - Das Panorama im Blenio-Tal

    PDF166.23 kB14 September 2022

  • Airolo - Gotthardpark

    PDF260.82 kB14 September 2022

  • Faido- Der Piumogna-Wasserfall

    PDF416.49 kB14 September 2022

• Biasca

  The Leventina, Riviera and Blenio valleys meet here. One of the first electric power stations in the canton of Ticino was opened in Biasca in 1895. Today Biasca is the southern portal of the Gotthard Base Tunnel – the new railway link across the Alps. Faido, for its part, was the first commune in Ticino to introduce electric lighting. Each of these pioneering valleys has its own story to tell.

  

  Segunda fermada: Biasca! — © EDA

  In Biasca, President Cassis meets with members of the local community and is greeted by familiar faces, as this is the hometown of his wife Paola Rodoni and the place where they were married.

  Government representatives of Biasca and the districts of Blenio and Riviera welcome Mr Cassis with photographs of the region.

  • Biasca - Wasserfälle und Kirche

    PDF327.19 kB14 September 2022

  • Riviera - Die Steinbrüche in unseren Bergen

    PDF471.43 kB14 September 2022

• Bellinzona

  Bellinzona, the capital of the canton of Ticino, hosted the festivities marking the elections to the Federal Council of Flavio Cotti in 1986 and Ignazio Cassis in 2017. Bellinzona is also a gateway to other parts of Italian-speaking Switzerland: yellow postbuses run to Mesolcina and Calanca, two of the four Italian-speaking valleys of the canton of Graubünden. Bellinzona is also a starting point for the beautiful town of Locarno for tourists from other parts of Switzerland and around the world.

  

  A Bellinzona cuntinuescha la scuntrada cun las autoritads e cun la populaziun. Il perrun è decorà cun bleras bandieras svizras. — © EDA

  At Bellinzona station, Mr Cassis is welcomed by the president of the Cantonal Parliament, the president of the Cantonal Council and representatives of the governments of Bellinzona, Locarno and Vallemaggia.

  • Bellinzona - Die Festung

    PDF427.70 kB14 September 2022

  • Cevio - Eine historische Aufnahme des einstigen Maggiatals

    PDF248.01 kB14 September 2022

  • Locarno - Anblick der Stadt

    PDF251.95 kB14 September 2022

• Lugano

  President Cassis was born and started his political career in the Lugano region. He also gave his first National Day speech as a federal councillor and went on to host international meetings in the city. The Ukraine Recovery Conference, held in July in Lugano, was an important milestone of the current presidential year.

  

  "This is your celebration": The people's festivities continue on the Piazza della Riforma. — © FDFA

  President Cassis is greeted at Lugano station by representatives of the City of Lugano and the communes of Collina d'Oro (where he makes his home), Tresa (where he was born and raised), Mendrisio, and Chiasso.

  At the Piazza della Riforma President Cassis meets with local citizens. ‹My wish is that all of Italian-speaking Switzerland feel honoured by this celebration, which is taking place 24 years after the last ceremony marking the inauguration of an Italian-speaking President of the Confederation,› said Cassis.

  • 20220914-BPIC-festa-chiasso-de.pdf

    PDF228.04 kB14 September 2022

  • 20220914-BPIC-festa-collina-d-oro-de.pdf

    PDF266.75 kB14 September 2022

  • 20220914-BPIC-festa-mendrisio-de.pdf

    PDF324.50 kB14 September 2022

  • Lugano - Luganersee: Ein zaubehafter Blick

    PDF119.85 kB14 September 2022

  • Tresa - Piazza da Sóra im Ort Sessa

    PDF239.80 kB14 September 2022

@ignaziocassis, social media platform X, 14.09.2022

«La Svizzera è un corpo con più cuori» (it, fr, de), Speech, 14.09.20220

The President's agenda

Almost nine months have passed since Ignazio Cassis began his presidential year. Diversity and innovation continue to be the common thread running through his agenda in Switzerland and abroad. The Ukraine Recovery Conference, which was held in the Italian-speaking part of Switzerland, was an important milestone

The illustrated agenda of the President of the Confederation at a glance.

Links

• Fifth President of the Swiss Confederation from Ticino
• The 2022 Federal Presidency: key messages and meetings

Documents

• Speech by Ettore Patuzzi and Chiara Botturi, class representatives of class 3A of the Lugano Cantonal High School 1v (Italian)

  PDF20.69 kB14 September 2022

• Speech by Federal Councillor Guy Parmelin, Head of the Department of Economic Affairs, Education and Research (EAER)

  PDF31.31 kB14 September 2022

• Speech by Gina La Mantia, President of the Grand Council of the Canton of Ticino (Italian)

  PDF26.30 kB14 September 2022

• Speech by National Council President Irène Kälin (German)

  PDF26.99 kB14 September 2022

• Speech by the Mayor of the City of Lugano Michele Foletti (Italian)

  PDF24.54 kB14 September 2022

• Speech by the President of the State Council of the Canton of Ticino Claudio Zali (Italian)

  PDF25.43 kB14 September 2022

• The photos of the communities (German)

  PDF4.46 MB14 September 2022