A place of strategic military important since Roman times, Bellinzona was already enclosed by walls in the sixth century. Between the 13th and 16th centuries a network of fortifications consisting of three imposing castles (Saint Michele, Montebello, and Corbaro) connected by walls was built; mush of the complex is still extant.

Bellinzona appeared to the traveller of old approaching from the South as the key to the Alps while for those approaching it from the North, it was the gateway to Italy. Many modern tourists know the town only because they have passed through it on the way to their holiday resorts on the Mediterranean.

But it really is worth making a stop in Bellinzona itself some time. The town has a rich, mediaeval heritage with three citadels that tower over the town as if watching over it. And once you reach the mild temperatures South of the Alps, you start to note the Italianità - or Italian-ness - of the little town with its market, open-air concerts and outdoor restaurants in which so many Ticino specialities can be sampled.

5 Good Reasons To Visit Bellinzona
* The Mediaeval Fortress with the three castles - Castelgrande, Castello di Montebello and Castello di Sasso Corbaro.
* The reopened theatre in Italian style - built 1847 and restored in 1997.
* The picturesque market in the Old Town on Saturday afternoons.
* Open-air events in Summer - Music Festival, theatre and ballet.
* The city art gallery in the Villa dei Cedri with regular art exhibitions.

For travellers in days gone by, Bellinzona was the key to the Alps from the south and the gateway to Italy from the north, and even today, the capitol of Canton Ticino flourishes on its rich medieval heritage.

Its dry charm conceals the animation of an important cultural crossroad between the Latin and Teutonic worlds on the ancient, much-travelled Saint Gotthard route. It nooks and crannies, squares, courtyards and old houses are redolent with history. Three castles from the Middle Age belong to Bellinzona: Castelgrande, Castello di Montebello and the Castello di Sasso Corbaro.

This is the world’s only open-air opera festival organized in a site with the label „world natural heritage" by UNESCO.

Performances of Verdi’s masterwork, Nabucco, are scheduled from July 26 to August 3, 2002. They take place at the Castelgrande, an imposing fortress hovering above the medieval old town of Bellinzona.