Bellinzona

Bellinzona is a historic Swiss town of about 43,000 inhabitants and the capital of the canton of Ticino. It is famous for its three castles, Castelgrande, Montebello and Sasso Corbaro, which have been UNESCO World Heritage Sites since 2000. The town lies east of the river Ticino at the foot of the Alps, stretching along the river valley between the southern ranges of the Lepontine Alps to the east and west and the Lugano Prealps to the south. Its position has always been important: to the south the Po Valley is reached down the Ticino valley and by Lake Maggiore, and to the north the valley leads to the high passes of the Nufenen, Saint Gotthard, Lukmanier and San Bernardino. The name is first attested in 590 in Latin as Belitio or Bilitio, in the writings of Gregory of Tours, and is Lepontic in origin, possibly meaning juniper; the German name is Bellenz. The coat of arms shows a silver biscione on red, a symbol of the Visconti of Milan, who were lords of Bellinzona in the 14th and 15th centuries.