The Castelgrande, Castello Montebello and Castello Sasso Corbaro protected the city of the Bellinzona, the capital of the canton of Ticino – a well-preserved example of late-medieval defensive structures located at a key strategic point on the Alpine pass. Each castle is worth a visit by its own right, but together with their defensive walls they offer a fascinatingly beautiful step back in time. A great place to stop for lunch – two hours is plenty.
We ate at **Il Fermento in the old town, which is a brewery with vaguely Italian food. Quite good.
Faido
Faido, between Airolo and Bellinzona, was a rather inspired, and completely unplanned, destination – the result of traffic and a need to make a conference call on time. We saw “playground” and “waterfall” and made a stop. It’s an old village – first documented in 1171 as Faedo, well-situated in the middle of a major valley and trade route.
There are quite a few historic buildings, and more historic hotels than you’d expect – due to building the Gotthard road (1820–30) and the Gotthard Rail Tunnel (1871–1881). Before World War I, the village was a popular and bustling holiday resort. The waterfall, **Cascata Piumogna, is big! You can swim at the base, and there’s a rather lovely adjacent area for picnics and BBQs. Also a very nice, elaborate playground.
