I drove through the vineyards and chestnut forests of Ticino all morning and enjoyed this route incredibly. Bellinzona is now in front of me.

There is a lot of traffic on the streets. I wind my way into the city center and park the tiger directly under the large Castelgrande fortress.

I put the machine on the edge of a park in the old town and hope for the best. When it comes to the Swiss, I’m not sure whether they don’t enforce draconian measures against brazenly parked motorcycles.

I leave my jacket with me and walk through the city with light luggage.

Although the traffic around the city is heavy, there are not many people in the city center. The children in a school class are watching me with a certain enthusiasm.

The flags of all Swiss cantons hang in the city.

I feel immediately at home in the city. It’s clean and Mediterranean. The architecture is completely different than in German-speaking Switzerland.

It feels like I’m already in Italy and wondering about the Swiss flags.

The city invites you to get lost in the winding streets. After a few turns I end up on the hill of the fortress and have a beautiful view over the roofs of the city and another fortress opposite, the Castelli de Bellinzona. And even in the middle of the city I find chestnut trees with full branches.

As beautiful as the city is, I notice a hectic pace in the traffic around the city that leaves me restless. I want to drive further and find a quieter place.

First, however, I will stop in Lugano. I wouldn’t dare imagine that it would be quiet there. But this city also has the reputation of being a true pearl.