Three important North-South routes - the roads over the Alpine passes of St Gotthard, San Bernardino and Lucomagno - meet in the valley of the Ticino, and could in the past be closed by a barrier across the road at Bellinzona. The town thus occupied a key strategic situation for many centuries, and this led to its selection as the cantonal capital in 1878. It is now an educational focal point as well as the seat of cantonal administration. The town is still dominated by its three castles, an impressive example of a medieval defensive system which, together with a double circuit of walls, were built by the town's Milanese rulers in the second half of the 15th C. The three castles are UNESCO World Heritage sites.
The region was occupied by Rome for five centuries, from about 30 B.C. to A.D. 450. Bellinzona itself first appears in the records in A.D. 590. In 1242 it fell into the hands of Milan, ruled by the Visconti family and later by the Sforzas. In 1503 the Confederates established the governor's headquarters in the castles. In 1803 Bellinzona became part of the new canton of Ticino.
Each year the town of Bellinzona is the Rabadan Festival that attracts people from all over Switzerland and neighbouring Italy. The festival has been ongoing for over 150 years. The highlight is the evenings when thousands fill the streest of Bellinzona in colorful costumes.
The Castello di Montebello, (originally Castello Piccolo, later Burg Schwyz and in the 19th C. San Martino), stands on the east side of Bellinzona, where the old town walls divided. It is the most interesting of the three as an example of the art of fortification (originally centered on the keep, with a 13th C. palace and courtyard and further structures built between 1460 and 1480), which now contain a historical and archaeological museum.
Address: Ente Turistico di Bellinzona e Dintorni, Via Camminata 2, CH-6500 Bellinzona, Switzerland
The square-shaped Castello di Sasso Corbaro (known as Burg Unterwalden and in the 18th C. S. Barbara), also called Castello di Cima by the Bellinzonese, was built in less than six months in 1479 following the Battle of Giornico to reinforce the defenses of the Ticino valley (230 m/755ft above the town). It houses the Ticino Museum (arts, crafts, local costumes).
Address: Ente Turistico di Bellinzona e Dintorni, Via Camminata 2, CH-6500 Bellinzona, Switzerland
Hours:
April 1 to October 31: 9am-12pm, 2pm-5pm; Closed: Mon
The Roman Catholic Collegiate church SS Pietro and Stefano in Bellinzona dates back to 1424. This fine Renaissance building was largely rebuilt in 1517 by Tomaso Rodari, master builder of Como Cathedral in Italy. The rich Baroque interior and facade were added in the 17th-18th C. The marble high altar is decorated with a representation of the Crucifixion (1658) by either Simone Peterzano or Tintoretto.
Bellinzona's art museum in the Villa dei Cedri has sculptures and paintings by early 20th C. Swiss artists and more recently by the 16th C. Italian Francesco da Basano.
In Bellinzona's Old Town there is an interesting former Franciscan church S. Maria della Grazie with magnificent wall paintings by the Lombard artists working in Ticino (16th C.), the Palazzo del Governo (1738-43, altered 1867-69). This part of Bellinzona retains its Lombard character with picturesque little streets, arcades, old doorways and wrought-iron balconies that inspired the English writer John Ruskin and the painter J. M. William Turner.
In Bellinzona's outlying district of Ravecchia (1.5km/1mi south), off the road to the left, is the Romanesque church of San Biagio (St Blaise), with fine frescoes of the 14th-15th C.
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