Several 7th Century graves have been discovered, one is at the Church of S. Paolo and six are in Castione. One of the graves contained a gold coin with the name of the Lombard King Agilulf. The graves surround the original church of S. Paolo and indicate that Lombards family had a presence in the valley and may have had a family chapel there. The building is close to the castrum of Bellinzona, where the Lombards had settled in 590. Additionally, it was right next to the old main road leading from Castelseprio at Varese on the Monte Ceneri to Lukmanier Pass. Throughout the Middle Ages Arbedo was an important transit point on the routes over several central Alpine passes. The natural barriers of the Ticino and Moesa provided excellent defenses for the village and made it a gateway to Bellinzona. However, its position led to frequent battles around and in Arbedo. The Battle of Arbedo in 1422 ended Swiss territorial expansion for some time. The 1449 Battle of Castione ended when the Condottiere Giovanni della Noce burned the village down and forced the armies of Uri and its allies to flee into the Val Mesolcina.