Due to its strategic location between the great alpine passes, Bellinzona was a fortress town from Roman times. During the Middle Ages, the dukes of Milan built the three castles here that now form a UNESCO World Heritage Site. The town was taken over by the Swiss Confederates in the 16th century, and became the capital of Ticino in 1803.
t The 270-m- (885-ft-) long suspension bridge above Bellinzona town
Experience Central Switzerland and Ticino
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Set on a high plateau on the west side of the Old Town, this is the oldest and most impressive of Bellinzona’s three castles. In the 12th century, the Roman fortress that already stood on the site was rebuilt and enlarged by the bishops of Como. The fortress was extended on several occasions until the late 15th century.
Today Castelgrande’s main features are the Torre Bianca (White Tower) and the Torre Nera (Black Tower), which are joined by crenellated walls that form inner baileys. In the south wing, a museum documents Bellinzona’s history, displaying a set of 15th-century painted panels from the walls and ceiling of a villa from the town.
Bellinzona’s Old Town nestles in the wide Ticino valley, in the shadow of its great medieval castles. With Italianate squares, Renaissance buildings and red cobblestones peppering its winding alleys, it is a typical Lombard town. Among the town’s many fine buildings are the Palazzo Civico, an elegant town hall with an arcaded courtyard, and the Chiesa Santa Maria delle Grazie, a church with 15th-century frescoes. On Saturday mornings the Old Town fills with colourful market stalls heaped with fresh produce such as cheeses and bread, plus wines and local crafts.
Did You Know?
Bellinzona’s annual Carnevale Rabadan (meaning “noise carnival”) is over 150 years old.
This Renaissance monastery church stands at the foot of the ramparts of Castelgrande. The interior retains an earlier set of Gothic arches, and is sublimely decorated with elaborate stuccowork and lavish frescoes. Over the high altar is a depiction of the Crucifixion, painted by Simone Peterzano in 1658.
Consisting of a 13th-century keep and a 15th-century residential palace surrounded by walls, this fortress is the most complex of Bellinzona’s three castles. The crenellated walls linking Castello di Montebello, to the east of the town, and Castelgrande, to the west, created a formidable defence system across the valley. The views from the castle are spectacular; on a clear day you can see as far as Lake Maggiore. A museum, in the keep, contains archaeological artifacts from the vicinity.
Insider Tip
The Tibetan Bridge
From the Bellinzona suburbs, a funicular will carry you through chestnut woods up into Monte Carasso. A pleasant circular hike leads to the spectacular Carasc wooden Tibetan bridge, anchored with flexible cables. It hangs above the Sementina Valley, and offers sweeping views over the treetops to the town.
Castello di Sasso Corbaro is the youngest of the town’s three fortresses. It was built in 1479 to the design of Benedetto Ferrini, after the Swiss had defeated the Milanese at the Battle of Giornico, thus increasing the threat to Ticino. The fortress, a tall quadrilateral residential tower and square ramparts, is set on an elevated headland on the east side of the town, and commands wide views across the Ticino valley all the way to Lake Maggiore.
Overlooking a vineyard, this Neo-Renaissance villa is the town’s art gallery. On display are 19th- and 20th-century paintings and prints, including works by Giovanni Segantini.