Lucerne (Luzern in German, Lozärn in Swiss-German, Lucerna in Italian) [http://www.luzern.org] is a beautiful small city in the heartland of Switzerland, across the lake from Altdorf, where legend has it William Tell shot an apple off his son's head. In addition to being a fine place to visit in and of itself Lucerne is a great base from which to explore famous Swiss sites such as Mount Rigi and the Rütli Meadow. (Lucerne Wikitravel)