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Concept
Bellinzona
Summary
Bellinzona (ˌbɛlɪnˈzoʊnə , bellinˈtsoːna, Ticinese belĩˈtsɔna; Bellinzone bɛlɛ̃zon; Bellenz ˈbɛlɛnts; Blizuna bliˈtsuːnə) is a municipality, a historic Swiss town, and the capital of the canton of Ticino in Switzerland. The town is famous for its three castles (Castelgrande, Montebello, Sasso Corbaro) that have been UNESCO World Heritage Sites since 2000.
The town lies east of the river Ticino, at the foot of the Alps. It stretches along the river valley, surrounded by the southern ranges of the Lepontine Alps to the east and west, and by the Lugano Prealps to the south.
The toponym is first attested in 590 in Latin as
Belitio or Bilitio (in the accusative, Bilitionem), by Gregory of Tours.
The name is Lepontic in origin, possibly from belitio ("juniper") or belitione ("juniper bushes").
During the medieval period, the name is found as
Berinzona (721, 762, 803, 1002), Birrinzona (1004), Birizona (1168), Beliciona (901, 977) and Belinzona (1055).
The German name of the town is Bellenz. A local folk etymology derives the name Bellinzona from zona bellica "war zone", making a connection to the Italian Wars.
The blazon of the municipal coat of arms is an erect serpent in silver on a red field. The fabulous animal is called in Italian "Biscione". This animal, which can also be found on the arms of the Alfa Romeo car company, is linked with the Visconti family, who were feudal lords of Bellinzona in the 14th and 15th centuries.
Bellinzona has always occupied an important geographic location in the Alps. To the south, the Po Valley is accessible by a lowland route down the valley of the river Ticino and by Lake Maggiore. To the north, the valley of the Ticino leads to the high alpine passes of Nufenen, St. Gotthard, Lukmanier and San Bernardino. Although now little used, the San Jorio Pass to the east was also important in Bellinzona's past.
While the region has been occupied since the early Neolithic age it wasn't until the late 1st century BC that a fort was built in the area during the reign of the Roman Emperor Augustus.
Official source
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