Having spent three days in Lugano, the largest city in the Swiss Canton of Ticino, I boarded the train to travel up to Flulen where I was scheduled to take the three-hour cruise to Lucerne. This was all part of William Tell Express, the popular Swiss travel route.

Lugano attracts tens of thousands of tourists every year because of its Mediterranean-like climate, complete with palm trees, in addition to mountains, art galleries, lakes, shady promenades, parks, some 75 hotels and about 100 banking institutions.

En route from Lugano to Luzern, I decided to get off at Bellinzona and spend a couple of hours in this small community and then catch another train to continue my journey to Fluelen.

Though small, with a population of about 17,000, Bellinzona is the capital of Ticino. This canton is notable for the fact that more than 80 per cent of the population speaks Italian. The city has not one but three medieval castles and a Saturday Market that is popular with both locals and visitors.

Believed to be of Roman origin, Bellinzona is located at a key point near the passes of St. Gotthard and San Bernardino. Thus it became vulnerable to attacks from various forces throughout history, including Celts, and was taken and retaken by the Bishops of Como and Milan. It was made the permanent capital of Ticino in 1878.

The Castles

This picturesque old town’s greatest attractions are the three castles built between 13 and 15 centuries. Castel Grande is the oldest and stands on a 150-foot rocky hill. It has two square towers: the Black Tower (85 feet in height) and the White Tower (81 feet).

The second castle, Castel Piccolo (small castle) is also known as Castello di Montebello. The dungeon of this 500-year-old castle also has been converted into Bellinzona Civic Museum.

The third one is a typical Renaissance fortress known by the name Castello di Sasso Corbaro. It is said that the Duke of Milan had it built in six months to fend off any enemy forces. The three castles have together been declared a World Heritage Site by UNESCO.

Nearby Bellinzona is the valley of Val Verzasca in which a hydroelectric dam is located. What is so special about this dam? It featured in the opening scene of the 1995 James Bond movie Golden Eye.

John Ruskin, the 19th century English writer and painter, was so attracted by Bellinzona that, instead of making a brief visit, remained there for about a month, enjoying the quiet life and even painting some of the town’s scenery.

As it was a Saturday, after getting off the train here I rushed to visit the market.  

It was in full swing at the time, with vendors offering products including homemade sweetmeats and cheeses, locally produced fruits and vegetables, handicrafts, clothing, ladies purses and music cassettes.

As this is the most Italian town in Switzerland, not surprisingly you hear the vendors and local shoppers speaking in Italian only.

If one wants to see a picturesque Swiss town a leisurely way, while avoiding the tourist hordes, then Bellinzona is a good bet.

For more information on Bellinzona, check out the tourist office website: www.bellinzonaturismo.ch .