Adventurous Maite: Switzerland 2 (16-17 September 2012)

16 September (Sunday)

Near the hostel, Caffè-Bar La Siesta Crocifisso in Via Cantonale 3, in Savosa

Bar Ristorante al Passaparola, Via San Gottardo 139, Savosa

Trasporti Pubblici Luganesi SA (TPL) is a public transport operator in and around the Swiss city of Lugano. Bus stop "Al Sole" in Massagno. Massagno is another small municipality in the district of Lugano, bordered to the North with the commune of Savona

More pics in Massagno

Roman Catholic church: Chiesa di Santa Lucia in Massagno

Swiss phone booth

Going by foot to the Lugano railway station

Lugano

Arriving at the station

The station is situated on a hillside to the west of the city centre, overlooking the city and Lake Lugano, and the funicular provides a direct link from the station to the city centre below. The residential quarter of Besso lies above and to the west of the station

Views from the hillside

I was standing on the piazza in front of Lugano train station, looking over the city

Behind me was the Hotel Federale located in the center of Lugano, at only a few steps from the train station. There was a pedestrian bridge with a few steps but I remained here waiting for my train to Bellinzona...

Map of the centre of the town

While awaiting the train I took advantage to eat an ice cream

Lugano clock tower

Privileged location

Photos from the train

Taverne-Torricella is a railway station in the Swiss canton of Ticino. The station is located on the border between the municipalities of Torricella-Taverne, Lamone and Bedano. The station is on the Swiss Federal Railways Gotthard railway, between Bellinzona and Lugano

Already in Bellinzona! I met with Daniele to visit the city.

This picture was taken at the train station

Hotel Leon D'Or, in the historic center of Bellinzona

Bellinzona is home to not one or two, but three castles dating back to the Roman Empire. We had time to visit two of them and take a lot of pictures

View of Castelgrande from Piazza del Sole

The Three Castles of Bellinzona are a group of fortifications located around the town of Bellinzona. The Castelgrande is located on a rocky peak overlooking the valley, with a series of fortified walls that protect the old city and connect to the Montebello. The third castle (Sasso Corbaro) is located on an isolated rocky promontory south-east of the other two. The Three Castles of Bellinzona have been an UNESCO World Heritage Site since 2000

View of Montebello castle from Castelgrande (10th century)

The Torre Bianca or white tower of the Castelgrande

The Castelgrande is located on a rocky peak overlooking the valley, with a series of fortified walls that protect the old city and connect to the Montebello

Castelgrande, literally "The big castle" in English, is the oldest and largest of the three castles of Bellinzona. In fact the first fortification was built during the 4th Century a.d. and the current one was built in the 13th Century, modified during the Sforza's governement, and finally completed during the 17th Century

The three castles of Bellinzona with its art treasures and its ethnographical history are impressive reminders of the Middle Ages. A privileged place to take pictures!!!

Defensive walls of Castelgrande or Castel Vecchio (Unesco World Heritage List, 2000)

Scenic views of the city and the mountains

Castelgrande seems a fairy tale castle

A landscape of dreams

Gorgeous sceneries from Castelgrande

Pictures indoors too

Exploring the castle

Daniele was my private tour guide

We also visited the Castello di Montebello

Montebello Castle (known as the Small, New or Middle Castle in the 15th century, as Schwyz Castle from 1506 and St. Martin's Castle after 1818) is located to the east of the town center. It was built before 1313 for the pro-Imperial Rusca family, who occupied the castle following the Visconti victory and occupation of the Castelgrande. By the end of the 14th century it was in the hands of the Visconti