World Heritage Days 2025: Fortress of Bellinzona

Saturday, 14 June 2025

📍 Bellinzona Fortress
🕘 10:00 am – 6:00 pm
🔎 Tag der offenen Tür in der Festung Bellinzona

To mark World Heritage Days, the impressive Bellinzona Fortress opens its doors for a whole day of history, culture and entertainment for the entire family.

The three castles - Castelgrande, Montebello and Sasso Corbaro - await visitors with a varied programme of free events, entertainment and activities. A unique opportunity to rediscover this fascinating UNESCO World Heritage property.

Programme highlights

📌 Medieval animation with ‘Spada nella Roccia’ at Montebello Castle
Shows, demonstration fights, children's games and scenes from everyday life, the Spada nella Rocca association takes you on an authentic journey through time.
📌 Open doors and free admission to all events and castles for the whole day!
A unique opportunity to experience the Fortress as you have never seen it before.

We look forward to seeing you in Bellinzona for a plunge into history!

Programme at Montebello Castle

Outdoor meadow

• 🕐 11:00 | Parade of groups and presentation of the event on the castle's outdoor meadow
• 🕐 13:00 | Gentle Italic sword demonstration with the swordsmen of the Rocca
• 🕐 14:30 | Medieval jousting circus show with horses
• 🕐 15:15 | Suedalp sword fighting
• 🕐 16:00 | Theatrical performance the visit of Barbarossa to Bellinzona
• 🕐 16:45 | Swords show with the swordsmen of the Rocca
• 🕐 17:00 | Suedalp sword fighting
• 🕐 18:00 | Medieval jousting circus show with horses and end of event

Interior of Montebello Castle

• 🕐 13:30 and 15:00 | Storytelling Madame Violante in search of the “magic slipper”

Continuous animations inside the castle

• Archery with the Quod Principi placet
• Children’s activities with the group the Triads
• Vacant musicians with I Riuros 3 elements
• Harpine with teacher Eleonora Ligabò
• Brigante del Monte Ceneri , the Negroamants,i the company of Alberto Palavicino
• Quod Principi placet
• Suedalp soft games for children
• The fortune tellers
• Medieval merchants and stalls

Musical moments at the castles

Sasso Corbaro Castle - Inner Court

• 🕐 11:00 | Iter Vocis Duo – Corde e parole | Concert offered by the 753 ArteBellezza is a voice-guitar DUO, the European representative of the Lugano Conservatory for Chamber Music. The Spanish, Italian, French and English songs touch on the themes of exile, love and excite with the singer's suave voice and the guitarist's technical perfection.

Castel Grande - Sala Arsenale

• 🕐 from 13:00 to 17:00 | Concerts with the music school of the Conservatorio della Svizzera italiana on the occasion of the Passeggiata Musicale and the 40th jubilee Villa dei cedri.