Bellinzona, in the Swiss canton of Ticino, is the site of three medieval castles named by UNESCO in 2001 as a World Heritage Site. The three castles - Castelgrande, Montebello and Sasso Corbaro – along with the fortifications of the market town, are the only example of well preserved late medieval military architecture in the Alpine area and are just one of four World Heritage Sites in Switzerland, the others are: the old town of Bern, the Abbey of St. Gallen and the Mustair convent.
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A fortress since Roman times, Bellinzona is strategically situated on a valley-floor and a natural nexus to such great Alpine passes as the Gotthard, San Bernadino, Novena and Lucomagno. Placed such, smack in the middle of the ancient road from Germany to Italy, sealed its geographic importance and factious future.
The old town is built on some hills, on the left bank of the Ticino river, and a little below the junction of the main Ticino valley and that of Mesocco. It was bought by the Visconti family of Milan, in 1242, who built a castle on top of the hill in the middle of the valley while their allies, the Rusconi family of Como, built another castle nearby, slightly up the hillside. In the 1420s, the Swiss confederates north of the Gotthard Pass were looking to secure their position by conquering territory on the south side of the pass and began a violent campaign against the Milanese forces, spurring the then ascendant Sforza dynasty to reinforce the two existing castles and build a third, even higher up the hillside. The Swiss won the town under the Treaty of Arona in 1503 and the bailiffs of the three inner cantons of Uri, Schwyz and Unterwalden set up house in the three castles, ensuring their intactness to the present day while also generating three centuries of domination and oppression. In 1878, after sharing cantonal capital duties with Locarno and Lugano on a rotating basis, Bellinzona became the sole capital of Ticino.
Castelgrande (or Castle of Uri, or San Michele) is the oldest and largest of the three castles. Built in 1280, it was recently refurbished by renowned Swiss architect Aurelio Galfetti and offers walks on the ramparts, a permanent art collection and high-end restaurant. In the summer there are open-air operas in the courtyard. Ten years ago a lift was inconspicuously installed in the rock to take lazy tourists, like myself, from the bottom edge of the town to the castle’s ramparts, where one can then make the easy climb to the top of the tower for the magnificent view and leisurely stroll back down on foot, resting here and there to take in the scenery.
Montebello, or Schwyz Castle, is an outstanding 13th century chateau with a courtyard and several 15th century additions. Today it is a minor museum of history and archaeology
Sasso Corbaro, or Castle of Unterwald, was built in 1479 and has the finest view of Bellinzona from its terrace, where one can see the lower valley of Ticino as well as Lake Maggiore.
Today, the old town of Bellinzona is quaint and well preserved and its medieval streets are lined with vendors selling local delicacies during the Saturday market. Guided walking tours of Bellinzona, its Old Town, and its castles are available upon request at the tourist office. The artist Turner was enchanted by Bellinzona and you can see his watercolors of Ticino and Bellinzona’s castles in the Tate Britain.
With information from SwitzerlandIsYours.com.
