Sion

Sion is the capital of Valais, situated in the Rhône Valley with two rocky hills rising abruptly from the flat valley floor within the city boundary. Tourbillon Castle on the higher hill is a ruined fourteenth-century fortress, while Valère Basilica on the adjacent hill is a fortified Romanesque church with a continually functioning medieval pipe organ dating to around 1435, considered the oldest playable organ in the world. Vineyards cover the surrounding hillsides, producing wines from high-altitude terraced plots.