Paradiso is a municipality in the district of Lugano in the canton of Ticino in Switzerland.

In 1835 it was first called Paradiso from a district of the village, though that didn't become the official name until 1929, also to avoid confusion with the hamlet of Caprino, across the lake.

[4] Excavations in 1951 in Calprino discovered evidence of a Roman era settlement in the area.

In the 12th century, the Benedictine Abbey S. Ambrogio in Milan owned land in Guidino.

By about 1335, the settlements that now make up Paradiso, formed part of the Council of sancti Petri di Pamio.

Thanks to the views over Lake Lugano, Paradiso became a popular holiday resort after the opening of the Gotthard Railway in 1882.

The funicular and increasing lake traffic contributed to the further development of the hotel and tourism industry in Paradiso.

[citation needed] Paradiso is located at the foot, and up the lower slopes, of Monte San Salvatore, on the shores Lake Lugano.

The municipality consists of the village of Paradiso, which is made up of the sections of Calprino, Guidino, Fontana and Morchino.

Of the rest of the land, 0.52 km2 (0.20 sq mi) or 58.4% is settled (buildings or roads), 0.01 km2 (2.5 acres) or 1.1% is either rivers or lakes.

[5] The blazon of the municipal coat of arms is Vert a lion rampant or and in a base argent three bendlets wavy of the first.

[10] The age distribution, as of 2009[update], in Paradiso is; 270 children or 7.4% of the population are between 0 and 9 years old and 287 teenagers or 7.8% are between 10 and 19.

[12] About 15.1% of the total households were owner occupied, or in other words did not pay rent (though they may have a mortgage or a rent-to-own agreement).

[8] The historical population is given in the following chart:[4][16][17] In the 2007 federal election the most popular party was the CVP which received 22.77% of the vote.

[18] In the 2007[update] Gran Consiglio election, there were a total of 1,517 registered voters in Paradiso, of which 759 or 50.0% voted.

[21] From the 2000 census[update], 2,270 or 61.5% were Roman Catholic, while 267 or 7.2% belonged to the Swiss Reformed Church.

In the lower secondary school system, students either attend a two-year middle school followed by a two-year pre-apprenticeship or they attend a four-year program to prepare for higher education.

The professional program lasts three years and prepares a student for a job in engineering, nursing, computer science, business, tourism and similar fields.

Paradiso is also connected to central Lugano by frequent bus services, operated by the Trasporti Pubblici Luganesi (TPL).

Boats of the Società Navigazione del Lago di Lugano (SNL) provide services on Lake Lugano, principally for tourist purposes, but also connecting Paradiso with other lake-side communities, some of which have no road access.