"Bellinzona - capital of the canton... " a Bellinzona Travel Page by loisl

Once seen from the south as the "key of the Alps" and from the north as the "key to Italy", Bellinzona today still reveals to the traveller a rich historical and geographical heritage dating from the Middle Ages, which lives on behind the austere charm of this Lombard town lying in the Alpine approaches. Its importance as crossroads on the ancient Gotthard highway between the Latin civilization and the Germanic world is plain to the eye. The alleys, squares, cdourtyards and old houses relate this to the passerby, but above all it is the three majestic castles with their rugged splendour and incomparable strength that tell of centuries of history written by Romans, Lombards, Swiss and Milanese. In complete harmony with this patrimony are the modern constructions of the celebrated Ticino school of architecture which create a living bond between past, present and future. Even the most inattentive traveller cannot help but be charmed and involved.
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