Diary Entry
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.
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I’ve heard a lot about the beauty of the city
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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