Castello di Montebello

Castello di Montebello occupies the middle position in the trio, on a hill to the east of the town centre. It is smaller and more domestic in character than Castelgrande, and its museum — housed in the 15th-century residence within the walls — has the best-presented collection of the three castles. Finds from the Roman and medieval periods are displayed with clear interpretive information.

The walk from the old town up to Montebello is steep but the path is well-maintained. From the battlements, the position of all three castles in relation to the valley and the connecting walls becomes clear — you understand immediately why this chain of fortifications controlled the Gotthard route so effectively for three centuries.

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The connecting murata — the defensive wall that once ran from Castelgrande across the valley floor to Montebello and then up to Sasso Corbaro — was one of the most ambitious fortification projects of 15th-century northern Italy. At its full extent it blocked the entire valley, leaving no passage except through controlled gates. Almost nothing survives of the valley-floor sections, which were demolished in the 19th century for agriculture, but the upper sections connecting the hillside castles have been restored.

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