CH Bellinzona 2019 Oct

Visited this Roman fortress town as another easy half day trip – just 30 min away served by frequent trains from Lugano (free rides provided by the travel card).

The town is famous for its 3 castles built/expanded by the dukes of Milan during the Middle Ages. All of those have been declared as UNESCO World Heritage sites. We visited 2 of those closest to the old town.

Castelgrande

Easily accessible from the train station in less than 10 min on foot. It was the oldest and probably the largest of all three castles. With a lift ride we ascended onto the castle sitting on a high plateau, featuring two towers – the White and Black Towers.

Castello di Montebello

This castle from the 13th century is located on the opposite side of the valley. To approach it, we had to climb plenty of stairs via narrow alleys from the old town. It was a residential palace. Great views of Castelgrande and old town below, the Castello di Sasso Corbaro further uphill.