The second of the three Bellinzona UNESCO world heritage site castles. The walls of Castlegrande…read moreconnect to Montebello, and it is quite impressive to see the three castles standing strong together (although the third castle is not connected by the walls of the other two). Unlike the Castelgrande, Montebello was not protected by natural features. It is surrounded by deep moats that protected the walls. The castle is a bit smaller than Castlegrande. There is a museum here, but the Sunday we went it was closed, but, the grounds and castle walls free to explore. It was fun to explore and climb around the castle. As it is smaller, it is not quiet as breathtaking as Castlegrande. But, still fun to see. The inner keep dates back to before 1313.

This is definitely my favorite castle of the three in the area. It's extremely beautiful and quite…read morea hike to get up to, but the views are worth it. Between this and the third, highest castle, the ascent is fairly steep and difficult, but I think the views they give of Bellinzona are about the same more or less. I was much more impressed by the various alleyways and walkways that Montebello had that you could explore. I guess my favorite part about Montebello was the fact that it wasn't just this one grand open courtyard, but you could really navigate throughout the castle. There's also a lovely huge grass area that I saw a lot of people laying around and enjoying the sun in. This was a very quintessential medieval like castle, and I highly recommend going to this one if you don't have the chance to visit the other two!

Came here at the recommendation of a friend living in Zurich. Such a wonderful experience. The…read moresmall island is a short boat ride from Locarno (also a short boat ride from Ascona). Entrance fee was small (about 8CHF). But wow, what a view! And the flowers! Heavenly. The smell of Jasmine was everywhere. Loved the flowers from around the globe, the Roman "bath" and the Bamboo garden. Very easy to spend an entire day here. A must visit, especially if you like nature, flowers, spectacular views, and the outdoors.

The funicular is the start of a journey that you have to make if you find yourself in Locarno on a…read moreclear day. Riding the funicular is like taking a step back in time, with wooden seats and paneling. The ride takes you up the hillside in about 5 minutes, giving a great view down over Locarno, and a couple of stops on the way up. Then the cable car awaits...

The Galleria Vittorio Emanuele II is not only beautiful with high end shopping but it is much…read morelarger than I expected. I made way over to spinning the bull mosaic and there was a circle full of people just jumping in to spin the bull. It is best to visit the Galleria on a week day for the weekend is super crowded. I experienced both and I prefer the weekday 100%.

A centrally located, beautiful little luxury shopping gallery. The original Prada store is located…read morehere - there are actually two stores across from each other, one featuring women's items, and one for men. There is a YSL, Dior, LV, etc.

B o n g i o r n o... What a quant little Palazzo located next to Lake Como. Palazzo means square…read more Walk around on the ancient cobblestone streets to the many shops, eateries and churches. Plenty of Gelaterias for the ice cream addicts like myself. All though, it's a little hard to tell where one Palazzo ends and the other one starts, it's all one beautiful village.

According to the interwebs, it's the most important fortress in the canton Grisons. I find it to…read morebe, so far, the most beautiful one around as well. It reminds me of the Catalan Romanesque, so maybe I'm not being impartial. Only the exterior walls and the church tower remain erected, and some of the interior structure can be guessed. The area, which is very well looked after, is reached after a 10 minute walk from the parking lot by the road, past the Santa Maria church. When I was there last summer, I was the only person around, so I guess it's not very well known or the location is not very convenient for a spontaneous visit if you are not nearby and happen to have some time to spend. I also found a pagoda-like structure, but I couldn't find out what it was for, maybe they celebrate events in there.

This seems the same listing but with different name for the Como Cathedral. The duomo in Como is…read moredefinitely worth visiting, which is usually referred as the last cathedral built in Italy. It's very beautiful and spectacular both outside and inside, and it's the most impressive church in this area. I'd certainly recommend visiting here.

First off, wow! Amazing view with amazing food, service and quaintness. Cannot wait to come back…read morefor the pumpkin gnocchi...THAT WAS SOO AMAZING!

A cafe with killer view!…read more Pluses: The view! The food - Osso buco and pork chop and desserts. Service. Areas to improve - none Just go! Romantic for couples but also great for families and big groups. Great value for quantity and quality of food!