What to see in Bellinzona – A natural and cultural experience

After crossing the border into northern Italy, we find ourselves in Ticino, the warm and green corner of Switzerland. A holiday in Ticino also has the added advantage of being able to speak in english, without having to worry about being understood! The canton of Ticino in summer is particularly lovely, the beautiful mountains offer trails and paths for trekking, while cities full of museums and historic buildings are waiting for us.

The capital of Ticino is Bellinzona, also called the city of castles, still has three wonderful medieval fortresses, part of a massive defense system built by the Dukes of Milan to stop the advance of the Swiss Confederates. Castelgrande defense system is very old, the original part dates from the thirteenth century and was enlarged by the Milanese (between 1473 and 1486). Montebello Castle, built in the fifteenth century, dominates the Castelgrande and its towers can enjoy a spectacular view of the valley. Do not forget to photograph the long walls that extend up to the old village. The castle of Sasso Corbaro is the newest of the three, and was built in the late fifteenth century on top of the namesake cliff to control access to the valley.

When you finish your visit to the castles, there are some trails to walk in order to explore the mountains of Ticino. From Bellinzona you can reach Monte Carasso, where a small cable car leads up to 1400 meters high, in a magnificent panoramic view of the Alpe Mornera. The road leading to the farm world is really impressive, on the sides are ancient and majestic forests of fir, larch and chestnut trees, which were once of great economic importance. If you are trained you can, instead, go up the Mount Gesero, for example along the trail of the Passo San Jorio, the transition between the high and closed Lario Bellinzona, which according to legend was built by Queen Teodolinda.If you want to know more about Italian cities and Sicilia then visit girasicilia.it