Genealogy
A downhill path, once probably an old mule track, led across the stone bridge in the rugged Corippo side-valley, then climbed upwards towards the village of Mergoscia. Around lunchtime I found a picnic spot on this path, that gave me a perfect view back across the whole village of Corippo. At midday, chimes rang out from the bell-tower opposite: in past centuries, the devout villagers would have stopped, hearing this, to say the Angelus.
Switzerland is well organised for tourists, and there was an excellent map near the church in Corippo, detailing walks in the surrounding area. The next track I chose led to the nearby village of Lavertezzo. There were some superb mountain views along the way, and sheep with spring lambs ventured out of their old stone hut onto some grassy knolls.
Bridge
at Lavertezzo
Shrine
on path
| The
riverside track passed through forest, still with just the sparse
beginnings of spring leaves. Many small waterfalls along the way rushed
down to join the Verzasca River. At Lavertezzo the track up the valley
could be followed no further because of the current avalanche danger.
But the attractive village of Lavertezzo had wonders of its own to
explore, most notably the double-humped stone bridge that spanned
the river. Great views of this bridge could be had from the middle
of the river itself, as there were several safe ways to climb out
onto the huge mountain rocks that lay there. |
The
stone construction of this house and path is typical of that found in
Ticino.
Locals in the village have always had a hard life with the rough alpine climate, poor soil quality, and steep terrain of the pastures. In past centuries, inhabitants only got enough from the fields for their own needs and there has often been a high degree of emigration. In the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries, men from Corippo went to Italy as chimney sweeps from November to Easter. In the nineteenth century, the goldfields lured many men away. Marginal agricultural land has since been increasingly reclaimed by forest.