Bellinzona's heritage uncovered
Bellinzona is formidably and strategically located at the
foot of the Gotthard Pass which affords access to the north, the Nufenen Pass
which gives passage to the Wallis, the Lukmaniar Pass that leads to Chur and
via the Oberalp Pass to Andermatt the San Bernardino Pass to the East which
leads to Chur, as well as the route south to Italy. At one time it was possible
to travel from Bellinzona to Venice by a water route.
It is therefore understandable that this location has been fought over since the reign of the Roman Emperor Augustus in the first century BC. It was during his reign that the first fort was built on the massive gneiss outcropping known as Castel Grande. The three castles (Castelgrande, Montebello, built end of 13th century and Sasso Corbaro built 1479) which were granted Unesco World Heritage Status in 2000, as they stand today are fabulous structures surrounded by steep mountains, fertile valleys and the river Ticino that winds its way down to Lago Maggiore and ultimately the river Po give Bellinzona a fairy tale feeling.
As one leaves the railway station the imposing granite sculpture of Elvezia in Cammino created by Reno Rossi in 1943 points the way into town. Saunter slowly along the cobblestone road to the town centre observing things along the way. The pride of the town fathers, if not necessarily of the citizens of Bellinzona, seems to be the grand new post office built by the same architect, Aurelio Galfetti who carried out the latest restorations on Castelgrande between 1984 -91. If you choose one castle to visit, then the Castelgrande is the most imposing and accessible.
Piazza del Sole at the foot of the
castle is a large square which is used for outdoor concerts and is also the
location for the Saturday market. On our tour we passed the opera house, which
looks like a mini La Scala inside. We passed a monument to the fallen soldiers
of WW1 created by Apollonio Paolo. The Castel
Grande, which is very impressively perched at the top of this 50-meter vertical
rock wall, is rendered even more daunting by the fact that the rock face is
kept totally devoid of plant growth. This is meant to give the castle the
aspect of a sculpture on a pedestal. The impressive and beautiful castle walls
called Murata used to reach right across the valley but the portion that was
destroyed by a flood in 1515 has never been restored. Two of the castle's
noteworthy features are the black and the white tower. Mr Galfetti, the
architect of the latest restorations, felt that he also wanted to build a tower
so he built an elevator inside the rock wall that takes visitors up to the
castle. The top of the shaft in the anteroom to the elevator is open to the sky
and so we have the inverted tower. The Castelgrande also houses a modern restaurant
at which it is advisable to reserve.
Bellinzona has many interesting facades on
buildings, lovely wrought iron balconies and one building has a facade totally
ornamented with terra cotta features. The city hall is a wonderful building on Piazza Nosetta. There has always been a
walnut tree in the Piazza hence its name. The City Hall or Palazzo Civico,
which also houses the town tourist
office Bellinzona turismo, has an inner courtyard. Geraniums adorn the
balconies that overlook the courtyard, a thought provoking bronze sculpture
called L' Ave Maria by Antonio Chiattone graces the entrance and on the walls
are paintings depicting life and scenery of Bellinzona in the19th century. The Visconti family crest of a serpent at
times with a baby in his jaws at times without the baby is ever present and the
serpent is part of the Bellinzona crest.
After a visit to the baroque church of San Pietro and Santo Stefano you could also stop for lunch in the town centre. Local dishes such as piccata Ticinese and risotto might tempt you, along with some local wine, grappa, limoncello and the very elusive Nosetta liqueur made from the walnuts of that wonderful walnut tree. Bellinzona has a relaxed lifestyle. You may be surprised at the flair with which merchandise is presented in the shop windows. After all, this entire city has a population of only 18,000 inhabitants.
Interesting web sites:
www.bellinzonaunesco.ch/castelliunesco/en/
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bellinzona
It is therefore understandable that this location has been fought over since the reign of the Roman Emperor Augustus in the first century BC. It was during his reign that the first fort was built on the massive gneiss outcropping known as Castel Grande. The three castles (Castelgrande, Montebello, built end of 13th century and Sasso Corbaro built 1479) which were granted Unesco World Heritage Status in 2000, as they stand today are fabulous structures surrounded by steep mountains, fertile valleys and the river Ticino that winds its way down to Lago Maggiore and ultimately the river Po give Bellinzona a fairy tale feeling.
As one leaves the railway station the imposing granite sculpture of Elvezia in Cammino created by Reno Rossi in 1943 points the way into town. Saunter slowly along the cobblestone road to the town centre observing things along the way. The pride of the town fathers, if not necessarily of the citizens of Bellinzona, seems to be the grand new post office built by the same architect, Aurelio Galfetti who carried out the latest restorations on Castelgrande between 1984 -91. If you choose one castle to visit, then the Castelgrande is the most imposing and accessible.
Piazza del Sole at the foot of the
castle is a large square which is used for outdoor concerts and is also the
location for the Saturday market. On our tour we passed the opera house, which
looks like a mini La Scala inside. We passed a monument to the fallen soldiers
of WW1 created by Apollonio Paolo. The Castel
Grande, which is very impressively perched at the top of this 50-meter vertical
rock wall, is rendered even more daunting by the fact that the rock face is
kept totally devoid of plant growth. This is meant to give the castle the
aspect of a sculpture on a pedestal. The impressive and beautiful castle walls
called Murata used to reach right across the valley but the portion that was
destroyed by a flood in 1515 has never been restored. Two of the castle's
noteworthy features are the black and the white tower. Mr Galfetti, the
architect of the latest restorations, felt that he also wanted to build a tower
so he built an elevator inside the rock wall that takes visitors up to the
castle. The top of the shaft in the anteroom to the elevator is open to the sky
and so we have the inverted tower. The Castelgrande also houses a modern restaurant
at which it is advisable to reserve.
Bellinzona has many interesting facades on
buildings, lovely wrought iron balconies and one building has a facade totally
ornamented with terra cotta features. The city hall is a wonderful building on Piazza Nosetta. There has always been a
walnut tree in the Piazza hence its name. The City Hall or Palazzo Civico,
which also houses the town tourist
office Bellinzona turismo, has an inner courtyard. Geraniums adorn the
balconies that overlook the courtyard, a thought provoking bronze sculpture
called L' Ave Maria by Antonio Chiattone graces the entrance and on the walls
are paintings depicting life and scenery of Bellinzona in the19th century. The Visconti family crest of a serpent at
times with a baby in his jaws at times without the baby is ever present and the
serpent is part of the Bellinzona crest.After a visit to the baroque church of San Pietro and Santo Stefano you could also stop for lunch in the town centre. Local dishes such as piccata Ticinese and risotto might tempt you, along with some local wine, grappa, limoncello and the very elusive Nosetta liqueur made from the walnuts of that wonderful walnut tree. Bellinzona has a relaxed lifestyle. You may be surprised at the flair with which merchandise is presented in the shop windows. After all, this entire city has a population of only 18,000 inhabitants.
Interesting web sites:
www.bellinzonaunesco.ch/castelliunesco/en/
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bellinzona
Report by Trudi Macdonald, June 2009, updated by Julia
Newton 1 September 2011 and April 2016.
