Immerse yourself in the Middle Ages and relive history… the Fortress of Bellinzona is one of the most admirable examples of medieval fortified architecture in the entire Alpine region. It consists of three castles, an imposing bulwark, and the town walls and has been a UNESCO World Heritage Site since 2000.
The largest of the three castles that make up the Fortress of Bellinzona, along with the bulwark and town walls, it stands on a hill that has been inhabited for over 6000 years.
The second castle in Bellinzona is located on the hill of Montebello about ninety meters above the level of the city, dominating the Castel Grande from above.
Its name in Italian means “Raven rock”(from the dialect word “corbatt”), because it stands on a rock as dark as the feathers of a crow. Sasso Corbaro is a typical fortress in the Sforza style, with thick walls reduced to the simplicity of a geometric figure.
The bulwark and the surrounding walls formed the barrier between the north and south. A border between two cultures, the Latin and the Teutonic.
“Le fortificazioni di Bellinzona, sono l’unico esempio visibile nell’arco alpino di architettura militare medievale composta da diversi castelli uniti da mura fortificate a protezione della popolazione. Le mura bloccavano l’intera valle del Ticino e i bastioni circondavano il borgo. Bellinzona è quindi un caso unico tra le imponenti fortificazioni del Quattrocento, sia per le dimensioni, influenzate dal sito e dalla sua topografia, sia per l’eccellente stato di conservazione dell’insieme”.
Dichiarazione di valore universale eccezionale secondo l’UNESCO, 2000
© 2022 Fortezza Bellinzona
