This museum has a modest collection of finds from Castelgrande's hill dating to prehistoric times. More engaging are the 15th-century ceiling decorations of a former noble house in central Bellinzona. The pictures range from weird animals to a humorous 'world upside down’ series that includes an ox driving a human-pulled plough and a sex-crazed woman chasing a chaste man!
Lonely Planet's must-see attractions
Castelgrande
Rising dramatically above the Old Town, this medieval stronghold is Bellinzona’s most visible icon. Head up Salita San Michele from Piazza Collegiata, or…
Castello di Montebello
0.22 MILES
On cloudless days, you can see Lake Maggiore from this 13th-century hilltop fortification. The fortress is one of Bellinzona’s most impressive with its…
Passalacqua
23.27 MILES
This elegant 18th-century villa on the banks of Lake Como was once home to composer Vincenzo Bellini is now an award-winning luxury hotel.
Villa della Porta Bozzolo
24.78 MILES
In the unassuming town of Casalzuigno, about 9km east of Laveno, generations of nobles have swanned about the magnificent gardens of Villa della Porta…
Castello Visconteo
11.14 MILES
Named after the Visconti clan that long ruled Milan, this fortified 15th-century castle’s nucleus was raised around the 10th century. It now houses a…
Val Bavona
24.79 MILES
A smooth road follows a mountain stream through this valley, where narrow meadows are cradled between steep rocky walls. Its tightly huddled stone and…
Monte Generoso
18.18 MILES
Popping up between Italy and Switzerland, the 1704m peak of Monte Generoso has far-reaching views across a patchwork of lakes and mountains. The rack-and…
Corippo
9.19 MILES
Blink and you'll almost certainly miss this pint-sized hamlet, which looks as though it would topple down the terraced hillside with the slightest puff of…
Nearby Ticino attractions
1. Castelgrande
Rising dramatically above the Old Town, this medieval stronghold is Bellinzona’s most visible icon. Head up Salita San Michele from Piazza Collegiata, or…
2. Piazza Collegiata
0.1 MILES
This cobblestone square is framed by graceful 18th-century patrician houses, many with decorative wrought-iron balconies.
3. Chiesa Collegiata dei SS Pietro e Stefano
0.1 MILES
Light streams through the rose window above the portal in this Renaissance church, lavishly adorned with frescoes and baroque stucco.
4. Palazzo del Comune
0.15 MILES
Bellinzona’s restored Renaissance town hall is worth a peek for its beautiful three-storey inner courtyard of loggias and frescoes showing historic scenes…
5. Chiesa di San Rocco
0.22 MILES
This ochre-hued church is noteworthy for its huge fresco of St Christopher and a smaller one of the Virgin Mary and Christ.
6. Castello di Montebello
0.22 MILES
On cloudless days, you can see Lake Maggiore from this 13th-century hilltop fortification. The fortress is one of Bellinzona’s most impressive with its…
7. Castello di Sasso Corbaro
0.5 MILES
From central Bellinzona, it’s a 3.5km hike south to the Castello di Sasso Corbaro. Perched high on a wooded hillside, the castle has an austere beauty…
8. Chiesa di Santa Maria delle Grazie
0.53 MILES
This 15th-century church has an extraordinary fresco cycle (recently restored after being damaged by fire in 1996) of the life and death of Christ. The…