Our Balade In Bellinzona

Posted on August 15, 2012 by Schwingen In Switzerland

Bellinzona would be epic (and possibly ruined) if it were located on a lake. Instead, it is strategically located at the confluence mountain passes and near others (Nufenen, St. Gotthard, Lukmanier, San Bernardino and the Poebene). At one time, it was the capital of the region.

Bellinzona’s Old Town is graceful and enchanting. It has beautiful, ornate merchants’ houses, stone gateways, wrought iron balconies and peaceful courtyards. It is car free. If you ignore the other tourists strolling the alleyways, it is easy to transport yourself to a bygone era.

It’s not glitzy, but its richly decorated patrician houses, beautiful churches and charming streets are relaxing and seductive. You can literally feel your blood pressure drop. Walking the streets, you want to stop, enjoy the atmosphere and take in all the colorful details.

This peacefulness is ironic. Bellinzona doesn’t derive its name from its beauty (Belle or Bella), but from “zone bellica” which translates into “war zone.” The main evidence of the city’s turbulent past are its castles and fortifications which are just outside the old town.

Fribourg’s Wrought Iron Signs With Icons (schwingeninswitzerland.wordpress.com)
Bellinzona’s Strategic Location (schwingeninswitzerland.wordpress.com)
We Had Fun Storming Bellinzona’s Castles (schwingeninswitzerland.wordpress.com)

Bellinzona’s Churches

Posted on August 9, 2012 by Schwingen In Switzerland

Bellinzona is probably Switzerland’s most Italianate town. Therefore, it is not surprising that it has tons of churches. Being the idiot that I am, I was still surprised that such a small town had so many. Being a trading center, Bellinzona drew people from all over, including religious folk. There are many churches and convents in the area. The local tourist office has even developed a walking tour that covers some of the highlights.

Piazza Collegiata (also known as Piazza Grande) is one of Bellinzona’s center squares, When you step into Piazza Collegiata, your eyes are drawn to its elegant, imposing Renaissance church. Its rich baroque interior is incredibly ornate. Perhaps because it isn’t very large, the Collegiata dei Ss. Pietro e Stefano somehow manages to be intimate, even cheerful.

Dating from 1424, was largely rebuilt by Tommaso Rodari from Maroggia. He was the master builder of Italy’s Como Cathedral. Just around the corner, toward the path to Montebello, you pass ancient church buildings.

The 14th century oratory of San Rocco is known for its frescos of St. Christopher and the Virgin Mary with Christ. These frescos are 20th century restorations, but the Chiesa di San Biagio has some originals. The Church of San Biagio in Ravecchia, known as the red church, also has frescos.

The walk from Castello di Montebello to Castello di Sasso Corbaro provides a stunning view of the Chapel of San Sebastian (Chiesa San Sebastiano). On a hilltop with the alps derriere and the vineyards in front, it is sunning.

Bellinzona’s Strategic Location (schwingeninswitzerland.wordpress.com)
We Had Fun Storming Bellinzona’s Castles (schwingeninswitzerland.wordpress.com)

Bellinzona’s Strategic Location

Posted on June 19, 2012 by Schwingen In Switzerland

Bellinzona has been a fortress since Roman times due to its strategic location. It is located on the valley floor at the base of the great alpine passes of the St. Gotthard, San Bernardino and Lucomagno (Lukmanier).

Romans built fortifications on the spot where Castelgrande now sits. The nearby town of Bellinzona is named not for the Italian bella (“beautiful”), but for the Latin bellum (“war”), and this truly was a medieval war zone. Several castles in Bellinzona recall a pivotal Swiss victory in 1513. With this success, the Swiss gained a toehold in Ticino.

The Duke of Milan (the Visconti family) purchased Bellinzona in 1242. They built a new castle atop the town. Later, their allies, the Rusconi family of Como, built Montebello up the hill.

The Swiss, invigorated by their victory over the Hapsburgs at the Battle of Sempach and wanting to protect their newly won independence decided that possessing strategic Bellinzona on the other side of the Alps would reinforce their defenses. They began their campaign in the 1420’s. In response, Milan’s current rulers, the powerful Sforza family, reinforced the castles and built Sasso Corbaro even further up the hill. They also built a massive chain of fortifications that extended across the valley.

It took the Swiss about 100 years, but they won. In 1516, Bellinzona became part of the Swiss Federation. The Swiss did their best to ensure that they kept it. For the next 300 years, Swiss overlords oppressed and controlled the local population.

The three castles (Castelgrande, Castello di Montebello and Castello di Sasso Corbaro) and their accompanying fortifications are a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

Switzerland’s Panoramic Train, The Bernina Express (schwingeninswitzerland.wordpress.com)
Pont Du Gard (schwingeninswitzerland.wordpress.com)
We Had Fun Storming Bellinzona’s Castles (schwingeninswitzerland.wordpress.com)

We Had Fun Storming Bellinzona’s Castles

Posted on June 17, 2012 by Schwingen In Switzerland

From Lugano, we took a day trip to Bellinzona. Bellinzona’s three medieval castles (Castelgrande, Castello di Montebello and Castello di Sasso Corbaro) and their fortifications are among the most important examples of medieval defensive architecture in the Alps. These fortifications are also a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

Living in Switzerland, we have castle fatigue. Poor us. We happily forego an opportunity to see castles if they aren’t great. My buddy Rick Steves’ has a list of Europe’s 10 best castles. I’ve been lucky enough to see a fair number of them and some others, like Windsor Castle, that didn’t make his list. You can’t swing a dead cat in Switzerland without hitting a castle or the ruins of one (sometimes they’re cooler than the ones still standing). As a UNESCO World Heritage site, Bellinzona’s castles were supposed to be pretty good and they were definitely worth the trip.

Castelgrande is Bellinzona’s oldest and largest castle. It overlooks the Old Town. They have built an ingenious elevator/stair system that allows to visitors access the castle from the rock underneath, from inside. It beats the old school method of scaling the walls. Castelgrande has a little museum with a cool video that documents Bellinzona’s history and the history of its castles.

Wear whatever you want, but I’d imagine that it is hard to climb the ramparts in these bad boys.

The castles of Montebello and Sasso Cobaro are up the hill above the town. Although floods destroyed a large part of the medieval fortifications, large chunks of the immense wall remain. You can see them the photo above.

If you were to ask an eight year-old to draw a castle, they would draw Montebello. It looks like your stereotypical castle. We climbed the ramparts, posed on the drawbridge and enjoyed the wonderful views. Montebello’s interior buildings contain a museum with archaeological discoveries and artifacts from Bellinzona that date back to Roman times.

Montebello’s museum also had weaponry. I had to get a picture with the gun that was about my size. Who in the heck was large enough to fire this thing?

Magglio, the Luger and Sneaky Pete, got disbelieving looks and thumbs up from people when we told them we hiked up to Castello di Sasso Corbaro. It was a beautiful day and the views were even better. From there, you could easily see the mountain passes come together just north of Bellinzona and why it was so strategically important (click here for a panoramic view).