1 August: intense heat and no fires

Good Thursday morning from the Collina. This year, 1 August falls in a week that calls for a little more care than usual. In Montagnola, Piazza Brocchi is getting ready for the Swiss National Day celebration with music and a macaroni lunch. The Canton, however, has issued a level 4 heat warning for lower areas of central and southern Ticino and reminds everyone that the absolute ban on lighting fires outdoors remains in force.

It has otherwise been a relatively quiet week at municipal level, with no new decisions to attribute to the Municipal Council or the local legislature. A notice has appeared on the online noticeboard concerning a proposed 30 km/h zone on the cantonal road along via Collina d’Oro, in the centre of Montagnola. This is a published project notice; it does not mean that the new limit is already in force.

Weather: seven hot days, with the warning lasting until Wednesday

This is the official MeteoSwiss forecast for 6926 Montagnola, 473 metres above sea level, consulted on Wednesday 29 July at 4.05 pm. It is not a forecast for Lugano: Agra, Gentilino and Carabietta may see local differences because of elevation and exposure.

Level 4 warning. Drink before you feel thirsty, avoid exercise during the hottest hours, keep shutters closed during the day and air your home at night. A quick message to an elderly neighbour or someone living alone can help.

1 August: celebrate, but no fires

Saturday’s gathering starts at 11.00 am at the Ovale in Piazza Brocchi, Montagnola. The programme includes a concert by Collina d’Oro Musica, an address by Mayor Andrea Bernardazzi at 11.30 am and a complimentary macaroni lunch from noon. The celebration ends at 3.00 pm.

The Department of the Territory has reiterated the absolute ban on lighting fires outdoors. Fireworks, firecrackers and bonfires are prohibited, for private individuals as well as at public events. The programme at the Ovale does not announce any fireworks; anyone celebrating at home or near woodland must still avoid lighting any kind of fire.

Tonight and tomorrow: the Ovale stays open

The Ovale kiosk reopens on Thursday from 5.00 pm, together with the market offering local products. On Friday, again from 5.00 pm, Gipo will be in charge of the kitchen; the Burraco under the stars tournament begins at 6.00 pm. With evening temperatures still high, it is worth checking the organiser’s channel later in the afternoon.

Sunday: Hesse and Orchestra Ceresio

At 4.00 pm, Simon Cattaneo and Torsten Korte will read A Chapter of Artistic Hygiene, from The Art of Idleness, in Italian and German at the Hermann Hesse Museum. The summer readings take place weekly; admission is CHF 10, or CHF 8 for students and pensioners.

At 7.00 pm, Ceresio Estate presents Orchestra Ceresio, conducted by Ahmed El Saedi, at the Collina d’Oro school: Mozart, Haydn and Schubert, with Victoria Kapralova on cello.

Gentilino, FLP and Sant’Abbondio

FLP work in the Cappella-Agnuzzo area continues until tonight. Noise may be heard in the tunnels between Sorengo and Lugano from 9.30 pm to 4.30 am; the notice is particularly relevant to people living or travelling on the Gentilino-Piodella side.

One date to note now: on Sunday 9 August at 5.00 pm, Sant’Abbondio church will host a special reading about Hermann Hesse and Francis of Assisi.

Municipal business: what has been decided and what has not

The online noticeboard has published a project to introduce a 30 km/h zone on via Collina d’Oro in the centre of Montagnola. This is a procedure published under the roads law, not a change that is already in force. Consult the Municipality’s online noticeboard for plans, documents and deadlines.

Items still before the local legislature include the CHF 150,000 credit for the municipal action programme on high-quality settlement development and the new Municipal Regulations. In Gentilino, a CHF 417,000 credit for refurbishing the swimming pool has already been approved; in Agra, a CHF 438,000 credit for the sewer line towards the Bigogno stream has been approved.

For Carabietta and Pian Scairolo, this review did not identify any new targeted municipal or cantonal measures to report.

One useful thing: TASIS

The TASIS residents’ portal notes that the M. Crist Fleming Library, at via Collina d’Oro 15 in Montagnola, is open to the public on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays from 10.00 am to noon for reading and consultation, without borrowing. It also lists free evening English conversation classes and cultural events open to the local community.

Sources for this issue

• MeteoSwiss — Montagnola 6926
• Canton of Ticino — heat warning and fire ban
• Municipality — online noticeboard and Municipal Council messages
• Vivi Collina d’Oro — calendar
• Hermann Hesse Museum — readings and TASIS — residents

If there is a new notice, a changed time or a practical problem that deserves checking, write to us. See you next Thursday.