Italian Lakes - Bellinzona Street - Tall houses - bell tower - pathway. Part of Box 184 Boswell Collection - Italian Lakes. 'Bellinzona (Italian pronunciation: [bellin?tso?na] French: Bellinzone, pronounced: [b?l??zon]; archaic German: Bellenz [?b?l?nts]; Latin Bilitio [bi?litjo]) is the capital of the canton Ticino in Switzerland. The city 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 Ticino river, 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.' Bellinzona