Italian village has had enough of Rome - and would rather belong to Switzerland
Created: 03/11/2022 05:37
By: Martina Lippl
The Italian mountain village of Monteviasco lies at an altitude of 1,650 meters and is almost completely cut off from the world (archive photo).
© Daniel Schweinert/imago
The air is thick in the Italian mountain village of Monteviasco.
The residents want to join Switzerland.
Monteviasco – The town of Monteviasco is located at 1,650 meters in Italy (Lombardy).
In photos, the mountain village nestles idyllically in the hilly landscape, a few kilometers from Ticino.
But the first impression is deceptive.
The residents want to be annexed to Switzerland.
In a letter recently published in the daily newspaper
La Prealpina,
they call for the annexation of their homeland to Switzerland.
According to residents, the border should be moved.
Italy: Mountain village can only be reached on foot over 1,400 steps
The reason for this: For years, Monteviasco can only be reached on foot via a path with over 1,400 steps.
The village was virtually cut off from the outside world.
The cable car has been idle since 2018.
The cable car operator died in an accident.
After this tragedy, no one has been found who wants to put the Sacro Monte di Varese funicular back into service as a means of transport.
Italian mountain village wants to belong to Switzerland
In the letter, the residents accuse the authorities of inaction.
The Swiss news portal 20min.ch
, citing Italian local media
, reports that six tenders from the local transport authority are said to be pending for various reasons .
But there is a standstill.
Joining the canton of Ticino (Switzerland) seems to be the only way for residents to reopen the cable car.
And since the village is less than two kilometers from Ticino, they demand that the border simply be lowered to avoid the "bureaucratic shackles in Italy".
Italian mountain village Monteviasco wants to join Switzerland.
The reason: the cable car has been shut down for years.
© Screenshot Google Maps
The letter – written primarily by residents with a second home – aims to revive the debate about the future of Monteviasco.
"We would be delighted to see politicians 'arguing' about the merits of restoring a mode of transport on which our lives depend," the letter reads.
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As the RSI writes, the Italians' demand is a provocative call for help.
The region does not care enough about the mountain village.
It remains to be seen whether the letter will have the desired effect.
November 12 marks the fourth anniversary of the fatal accident in Monteviasco.
(ml)