1540

In 1540 Francesco Orelli from Locarno built a house on the estate, then known as Saleggi. The fortified "Castello", situated between the mouths of the Maggia river, was an ideal refuge for Orelli and the followers of the new Protestant doctrine. Even after the collapse of the Protestant community in Locarno and its subsequent expulsion, the building remained in the hands of the Orelli family.