A tranquil and unhurried Swiss town, yet home to three stone castles listed as UNESCO World Heritage Sites

Text and photos byHappy Cloud

Located in southeastern Switzerland, the town of Bellinzona — would travelers still visit if it weren’t for the three stone castles that were inscribed as World Heritage Sites in 2000?

It’s not that the town isn’t nice, but it feels so lived-in, peaceful, and slow-paced, not really the kind of place you’d expect for sightseeing.

Perhaps it’s also because we visited in early spring when everything was still dormant, giving Cloud this impression; to Cloud, Bellinzona is a very "static" town.

After getting off the bus, the three castles on the distant mountaintop were our destination for the day. Actually, most people only come to the largest and most accessible one, Castle Grande. The other two castles on the mountaintop, Castello di Montebello and Castello di Sasso Corbaro, are rarely visited by many; it’s said that the highest one requires a long hike to reach.

Today we’re visiting Castle Grande. The towering stone walls separate the castle from the residential areas. Now, by passing through what looks like a gap in the wall and walking inside, you can take a small elevator to easily reach the castle. Haha, this castle is really generous — there’s no entrance fee at all!

Walking along the stone-paved walls, you’ll see the other two castles, a church, and old residential houses nearby. The town doesn’t feel very big, and the gaps in the walls look like positions for mounting guns or loopholes.

Peering through the gaps to catch a glimpse of the old town is quite a unique perspective. Cloud couldn’t help but wonder, why does such a small town need three castles? Maybe it was once a prosperous and bustling place back in the day?

At the end of the wall, take a turn, and behind a large patch of grass are the castle and the bell tower. This castle feels so... simple!!! Honestly, it’s just straightforward~

For some reason today, the bell tower wasn’t open; but the restrooms are located downstairs here. It’s a bit of a pity not to have a higher vantage point or the chance to look out over the city and the other two castles...

Let’s go explore behind the castle then~ The view from the back is fantastic, closer to the residential houses, yet still carrying an aura of "ruling over the land."

Haha, paired with the distant snow-capped mountains and the red-and-white Swiss flag, it really feels like a scene from a medieval movie.

Two girls are leisurely chatting and enjoying the beautiful view in front of them — so relaxed and carefree!

After a short stroll around Castle Grande, we took the elevator back down to the square where we came from.

The square has parents playing with their kids, and girls who seem to be teenagers chatting away. They don’t seem like tourists, but rather locals or people from nearby areas just out for a stroll.

The main street didn’t seem to have many people today, and many shops were closed. With limited time, we could only take a quick visual stroll around Up!

On our way back, we passed by the ice cream shop we saw earlier, which had quite a few people in front of it.

Let’s grab an ice cream while we can. This ice cream has a very Italian style.

As expected, we’re in the Italian-speaking part of Switzerland. Our next stop is Lugano, the largest city in the Swiss Italian-speaking region. Holding our ice creams, we walk and eat as we slowly head toward the next leg of our journey.

This is a somewhat quiet little city, and also one where I’m not sure if I’ll ever get to visit again. There’s a rather peculiar feeling about it; but I’m really happy that, without realizing it, I’ve added another World Heritage Site to my list Up~

The journey continues.............................

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