At the Castle of Montebello

Dear Diary,

After the visit to the Swiss Parliament, we thought of flying towards the hilly area. We flew to Ticino, Bellinzona. During our flight, we saw a beautiful and ancient castle and thought of stopping there and seeing the place.

According to Aaron, the guide bird, this building was known as Schwyz Castle from 1506, and as Saint Martin's castle from 1818. The Castle was said to date back to the late 13th century. It had been built by the illustrious (distinguished) Rusca family from Como, and had been passed on to the Viscontis in the 14th century. It's a pity to hear that this castle had been neglected for some time.

Even government officials had complained in around 1460, that these buildings are no longer fulfilling defensive requirements. Then, renovations had begun around 1462 and continued until 1490, which transformed the ancient 13th Century castle, into a complex fortress. According to reports, this had again been neglected in the 19th century and had been repaired again in 1903. This shows clearly in the brick work, where there is a significant difference between the new and old bricks.

This castle has easy access; I don't know whether it's good or bad. But, for defence purposes, they had dug a deep moat only from the east, so that the enemies won't be able to reach the castle easily. The whole complex is roughly rhomboid in shape.

I was wondering whether the original plan had been changed during the two renovations, but, the gate keeper bird said it is not clear whether changes have taken place or not. The layout of the complex is similar to an archaeological concept that is often encountered in the southern Alpine Valleys: a high strong outer wall against which living areas and utility buildings were built on the inner side.

The entrance also fits this traditional model, situated as it is high up in the western wall and accessible today by means of an external flight of steps.

There is also a little chapel, dedicated to Saint Michael, which leans against the wall of the more recent southfacing section; but around 1600, it has been one of the few buildings erected in the castles of Bellinzona under the rule of the three founder cantons (divisions).There is also an irregular-shaped wall built around the fortress.

During the construction of 1462-1490, they had built a strong wall, making use of the existing 13th century wall. The round towers which stand at the western and southern corners of the wall are open towards the interior and have no gun platforms, unlike the north-eastern tower, which has an emplacement (platform for guns) built onto the inner wall.

A gate on the south stretch of the wall, equipped with a murder hole, dates back to the 15th century. In the 15th century, Montebello had been considered as the most suitable castle for full scale defence operations in the event of war.

The open space between the main fortress and the outer fortification had been ideal for accommodating troops. Montebello and its castle walls clearly illustrate how the Dukes of Milan tried to give back the full defensive potential by modifying the Castle. Today, the Castle houses the Civic Museum with its archaeological collection; the findings include items of considerable interest coming from prehistoric burial sites in Ticino.

It was a nice journey! Though our visit was not planned, we enjoyed it a lot. Especially Zorro, who likes fortresses and adventure, loved the place a lot. We visited another castle on the same day. I'll write about it later.

Bye!

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