Travel Guide Semione

Located in the southern Val Blenio, Semione is just a few kilometers from the town of Biasca. The main attraction is the Castello di Serravalle castle, of which extensive ruins remain. This fortress was designed to control and protect the passage of goods and people over the Lukmanier Pass, which was of major importance in the early Middle Ages (as was the St. Gotthard Pass). Built around 1170, the citadel was destroyed by the inhabitants of Val Blenio in 1402. Almost adjacent to the castle is the Santa Maria del Castello chapel, where services were held for the castle's inhabitants.