Bellinzona
[key], town, capital of Ticino canton, S Switzerland, on the Ticino River,
near the Italian border. It is a picturesque old town and a hub of
transalpine traffic. Tourism is the main economic factor, but there are
small industries. Possibly a Roman settlement, Bellinzona belonged at times
to Lombardy, Como, Milan, France, and the Four Forest Cantons. In 1798 it
became the capital of the Bellinzona canton under the Helvetic Republic and the capital of
Ticino in 1803. The town is dominated by three castles (13th–15th
cent.) of the dukes of Milan.
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