Bellinzona

It's spring time! In southern Switzerland / northern Italy at least. This spring has been the coldest, wettest version of the season we have experienced during our time here. So when we were looking for places to go during our long weekend in May celebrating the Assumption of Mary anywhere south of our current location seemed like a good bet. On Thursday morning we packed up the car and made our way through the San Bernadino Pass and to the town of Bellinzona. Apparently the rest of the Rhein Valley had a similar plan as the journey which normally take two and half hours stretched well past five. But the mountains are beautiful, the girls had a video player and we found a McDonalds along the way for lunch so all things considered it wasn't terribly inconvenient. Plus we didn't have any other plans for the day anyway so we took our time and enjoyed some time together.

Upon our arrival the girls were more than ready to burn off some energy before dinner so off we went to find a local playground and a little pizza. And even I got in on the slide action. Although the fit up the rope ladder was quite snug!

View from our balcony!

Bellinzona is the capital of the Ticino Canton of Switzerland and sits along the banks of the Ticino river as it descends from multiple points in the alps before coming together just north of the town. Strategically the towns position has been very important historically as one of the few access points from Central Europe into northern Italy. If you want to get to Milan from central Europe you can take one of four Alpine passes (Nufenen, St Gotthard, Lukmanier and San Bernardino) and all of them terminate on a path that takes you through Bellinzona. Over the centuries the town has fallen under the control of various rulers and empires but it's importance as a gateway between northern Italy and central Europe has remained unchanged. Also, it has castles, markets and gelato. All our favorite things to explore.

Saturday morning brings the presence of market day in the town center. And after a long day of hiking on Friday everyone was ready for an easy stroll through the village before exploring the local castles.

holding hands through all the noise & bustle

Fortified with gipfeli it was time to explore some castles! The closest one to the markets is also the most expansive and is know as Castel Grande. The primary fortification of the area, Castel Grande dates back to the 13th century but has visible segments from numerous renovations and expansions since its original construction. Access today is via an elevator that is hewn into the foundation of the castle that sits 75-100 feet above the streets of the town. Upon existing the elevator you will stroll up a steep promenade to the interior gate which opens up to the large parade ground.

After taking in a bit of the Renaissance Fair that was being held throughout the parade ground we walked the ramparts and took in the various views of the surrounding area.

This fortified wall stretches nearly a mile to end just short of the Ticino River

This is the view back to the castle

Once we completed our investigation of Castel Grande we made our way over to the second castle of the city Castello di Montebello. Montebello is smaller and newer (15th century) than Castel Grande but together they formed a contiguous defensive perimeter around the town and prevented passage into Italy or Central Europe, depending on who owned the fortifications at the time. The walk to Montebello is quite a bit more intense than the elevator ride to Castel Grande and after climbing the 180ft elevation up a winding road/stairway we were anxious to see the views!

But apparently climbing all over castle walls is less exciting then finding hills to roll down.

Does anyone else have kids who don't know how to roll downhill?

Anyway, we finished our tour of Montebello and made our way back to the town center for a well earned treat before our return trip to Liechtenstein on Sunday. 

For such a small area we packed a tremendous amount of fun into a four day weekend!