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 | Places to visit in canton Ticino |
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| Castelgrande castle |
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The Castelgrande castle, also called Castello di San Michele or Castel Vecchio in Italian, dominates the centre of Bellinzona from its del Sasso mount. It's the biggest and oldest castle of a set of three castles and has been built around the 6th century. The surroundings of the castle have impressively high walls to protect it and it has two big towers called the white and black tower built out of rock. The castle has been entirely restored from 1980 until 1991 by the architect Galfetti. Inside the castle there is an archeological and art history museum where historical finds dating from prehistoric times are displayed.
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| Location: Monte San Michele, Bellinzona |
| Chiesa di Santa Maria degli Angioli church |
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This Romanesque church contains three impressive frescoes by the Lombard painter Bernardino Luini dating from 1529. These frescoes have a lot in common with Leonardo da Vinci's work. A prodigious illustration of the Crucifixion is also depicted on the walls dividing the church into two. The vivacity and energy that those colourful paintings give to the church are simply astonishing.
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| Location: Piazza Luini, Lugano |
| Santuario della Madonna del Sasso sanctuary |
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This sanctuary named after the Virgin Mary, which is said to have appeared at this very same spot in a vision of the Monk Bartolomeo d'Ivrea in 1480, is overlooking the charming town of Locarno. The sanctuary regroups a small museum, a church and a lot of statues on its way. In addition it has many nice paintings such as the Virgin Mary or the boat escape of the Egyptians all dating from the 15th century. The sanctuary itself is a 20 minute walk from Locarno's town center through a pathway called the Via Crucis or is reached within a few minutes using the funicular.
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| Address: Via del Santuario 2, Locarno |
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