Montebello Castle in Bellinzona, Switzerland.

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Castello di Montebello

Top choice in Ticino


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 drawbridges, ramparts and small museum catapulting you back to medieval times.


Lonely Planet's must-see attractions

Nearby Ticino attractions

2. Piazza Collegiata

0.16 MILES

This cobblestone square is framed by graceful 18th-century patrician houses, many with decorative wrought-iron balconies.

3. Chiesa di San Rocco

0.2 MILES

This ochre-hued church is noteworthy for its huge fresco of St Christopher and a smaller one of the Virgin Mary and Christ.

4. Palazzo del Comune

0.21 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. Museo di Castelgrande

0.22 MILES

This museum has a modest collection of finds from Castelgrande's hill dating to prehistoric times. More engaging are the 15th-century ceiling decorations…

6. Castelgrande

0.23 MILES

Rising dramatically above the Old Town, this medieval stronghold is Bellinzona’s most visible icon. Head up Salita San Michele from Piazza Collegiata, or…

7. Castello di Sasso Corbaro

0.28 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 San Biagio

0.48 MILES

This 14th-century church is one of Bellinzona’s most evocative with its original frescoes of the medieval Lombard-Siena school.