The legislator has precisely regulated when an early withdrawal before ordinary retirement is possible.
An early withdrawal is permitted, for example, for taking up self-employment, for a definitive move abroad or as part of a partial retirement, for instance at age 63. The purchase of owner-occupied residential property also counts. But this is exactly where the limit lies: the withdrawal for residential property is permitted exclusively for the owner-occupied home. A holiday flat in Ticino that one does not use as a main residence is not a valid reason for withdrawal. So tempting as the idea of putting pension money into a holiday home may be, the law does not allow it.
Behind this strict rule lies a clear idea: pension capital is meant to provide security in old age and should only be used early where it enables a new livelihood, one's own home or an orderly transition into retirement.