Bellinzona, Switzerland

Capital City

At 45,305 residents, Bellinzona is a Swiss town with a heavy bureaucratic footprint and a dreary climate that gets over 100 days of precipitation annually. The centuries-old castles are impressive, but don't let that fool you - the town is dominated by Swiss Federal Railways, the biggest employer in this Ticino capital. Rents are about 85% of the national average, but the severe winters and mountain isolation may not be for everyone. If you can tolerate the paperwork and weather, Bellinzona could work, but it's hardly the picturesque Alpine oasis the marketing brochures would have you believe.