Castello di Sasso Corbaro

Bellinzona, Switzerland, Switzerland

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Castello di Sasso Corbaro is the highest and youngest of Bellinzona's three UNESCO World Heritage castles in Ticino, Switzerland, built in just six months starting in 1479 by Milanese Duke Ludovico Sforza's architect Benedetto Ferrini on a rocky promontory to block Swiss Confederate advances through the Alps after the Battle of Giornico.

Designed as a standalone geometric fortress with a square layout, high crenellated walls, two corner towers including a 14-meter keep and lookout, a small courtyard, and a ravelin outer defense, it replaced an earlier 14th-century watchtower and was struck by lightning multiple times before Swiss conquest in 1500.

Later used as a prison, summer residence, and nearly a hotel, it underwent major restorations from 2004-2006 and now serves as a museum with exhibits on regional history, offering sweeping views over the valley as a prime example of late medieval military engineering.