Sion.

Sion is the capital of Valais canton, built beneath two rocky hills whose silhouettes mark the skyline from far along the valley. Château de Valère rises on one summit, its fortified church holding an organ still used for concerts today. Château de Tourbillon crowns the other, its ruined walls open on all sides to views over the Rhône valley below. Between the two, the old town keeps narrow stone lanes, old fountains, and a cathedral with a Romanesque tower.

Vineyards climb the slopes right to the edge of the city, part of a wine region shaped by steep terraces and strong sun. Small cellars around Sion open their doors for tastings of local Valais wines. Sion sits in one of Switzerland's sunniest corners, a climate that has long shaped the vines on the hillsides above town. Fortified hilltops, working vineyards, and a compact old town give Sion a character apart from the ski resorts that surround it in the wider Valais.