Bellinzona sits at the point where the valleys of the southern Alps converge before opening towards Lake Maggiore and Italy, and whoever held it controlled the routes over the Gotthard, the Lukmanier and the San Bernardino passes. In the fifteenth century the Dukes of Milan built a formidable system of defences here: three castles and a wall that ran across the whole valley floor. Castelgrande, on a rocky hill above the old town, Montebello, on the slope above it, and Sasso Corbaro, highest of all on a wooded spur, together form a World Heritage site. Sasso Corbaro was built in 1479, in a matter of months, after the Swiss Confederates defeated the Milanese at the Battle of Giornico, a short way up the Leventina valley, and the Duke wanted to plug the gap in his defences.
The castle is a compact square fortress with a massive tower, and from its walls the view over Bellinzona, the Ticino valley and the mountains is superb. Inside, there are exhibitions and a small restaurant. Down in the town, the Saturday market fills the old streets with stalls selling cheese, bread, sausages and vegetables, and the atmosphere is distinctly Italian.
For motorcyclists, Bellinzona is a crossroads of great rides. To the north, the road up the Leventina leads to the Gotthard Pass, including the old cobbled Tremola road with its many hairpins, and to the north-east, the San Bernardino pass road climbs through the Mesolcina valley. To the west, the Centovalli and the Maggia valley lie beyond Locarno, and to the south, the road over the Monte Ceneri pass leads to Lugano and on to Monte San Giorgio, a World Heritage site famous for its fossils of marine reptiles. High passes such as the Gotthard and San Bernardino are closed in winter, usually from late autumn until late spring. Swiss speed limits are strictly enforced, and a vignette is required for motorways.
Bellinzona has fuel, shops, hotels and restaurants. Try risotto, the classic dish of Ticino, often made with saffron or mushrooms, and the polenta and braised meat served in the grotti, the rustic restaurants of the region, with a glass of Ticino Merlot. The road up to Sasso Corbaro is narrow and steep, but there is parking near the castle.