07:30
Arrival & cuddles
Slippers on, a wave at the window, and a slow start on the soft mat.
asilo nido & preschool · Lugano
Where little days become big memories.
Girotondo is a small bilingual nest in the heart of Lugano — unhurried days of play, garden mud and gentle routines, told back to you at pick-up, one story at a time.
Book a visitAges 3 months – 4 years
open 07:00 – 18:30, Mon – Friwe speak IT · EN · DE
muddy boots welcome
one day with us
A day at Girotondo
Follow the sun down the page — it keeps our hours.
07:30
Arrival & cuddles
Slippers on, a wave at the window, and a slow start on the soft mat.
09:00
Circle time
Songs in Italian and English, names, the weather, and one small wonder.
10:00
Garden play
Rain or shine we go out — mud kitchen, tricycles, and this week's snail.
11:45
Lunch together
From our own kitchen: seasonal, Ticino-grown, eaten around one table.
12:45
Nap & quiet stories
Curtains half-drawn, the same lullaby, and every blanket has a name.
16:30
Pick-up & the day's tale
We hand back a tired, happy child — and the story of their day.
our spaces
Four rooms, one of them outdoors
Small groups, familiar corners. Every room is set up the evening before, so the day starts calm.
3 – 18 months
The Nest
Soft light, slow mornings and room to crawl — naps on demand, always.
18 months – 3 years
The Discovery Room
Low shelves, big questions. Everything within reach is meant to be reached.
3 – 4 years
The Atelier
Paint, clay, stones and glue — where scribbles turn into sentences.
everyone, daily
The Garden
Our biggest room has no ceiling. Boots by the door, whatever the sky says.
the people your child will run to
A small team that stays
Three educators, one cook, and no revolving door — the same arms at drop-off, all year long.
Elena Bianchi
nido lead · 14 years with babies
“Babies set the pace. We just learn to walk at it.”
Sofia Keller
atelierista · early literacy
“Every scribble is a sentence, if you know how to listen.”
Marco Ferrari
preschool & garden
“Puddles are teachers too. Excellent ones, actually.”
your child will hear, every single week —
Italiano — all day longEnglish — stories & songs, dailyDeutsch — games, once a week
how we do things
Three promises we keep daily
Play is the curriculum
No worksheets before five. Blocks, water, dress-up and long stretches of uninterrupted play — that's where counting, language and patience actually grow.
Outside, every day
Rain boots live by the door and get used. An hour in the garden daily, in every season — cold cheeks, warm lunch, better naps.
Gentle routines
The same songs, the same rhythm, the same goodbyes. Little ones relax into days they can predict — and so do their parents.
come and see a morning
The best tour is 9 a.m. on a Tuesday
Tell us a little about your child and we'll invite you to visit while the day is actually happening — circle time, garden boots and all.
Nest places for autumn are limited — the waitlist moves monthly.
parents always ask
Good questions, honest answers
07:00 to 18:30, Monday to Friday, all year except two weeks in August and the days between Christmas and New Year. Drop-off is flexible until 9:30 — some mornings just start slower.