Verzasca is a

municipality A municipality is usually a single administrative division having corporate status and powers of self-government or jurisdiction as granted by national and regional laws to which it is subordinate. The term ''municipality'' may also mean the go ...

in the district of

Locarno , neighboring_municipalities= Ascona, Avegno, Cadenazzo, Cugnasco, Gerra (Verzasca), Gambarogno, Gordola, Lavertezzo, Losone, Minusio, Muralto, Orselina, Tegna, Tenero-Contra , twintowns =* Gagra, Georgia * Karlovy Vary, Czech Republic ...

in the canton of

Ticino Ticino (), sometimes Tessin (), officially the Republic and Canton of Ticino or less formally the Canton of Ticino,, informally ''Canton Ticino'' ; lmo, Canton Tesin ; german: Kanton Tessin ; french: Canton du Tessin ; rm, Chantun dal Tessin . ...

Switzerland ). Swiss law does not designate a ''capital'' as such, but the federal parliament and government are installed in Bern, while other federal institutions, such as the federal courts, are in other cities (Bellinzona, Lausanne, Luzern, Neuchâtel ...

. On 17 October 2020 the former municipalities of

Vogorno Vogorno is a former municipality in the district of Locarno in the canton of Ticino in Switzerland. The village is located above Lago di Vogorno, a reservoir formed by the Verzasca Dam. On 17 October 2020 the former municipalities of Vogorno, Sono ...

Sonogno Sonogno is a former municipality in the district of Locarno in the canton of Ticino in Switzerland. It is located in Valle Verzasca. On 17 October 2020 the former municipalities of Vogorno, Sonogno, Corippo, Brione (Verzasca) and Frasco merged to ...

Corippo Corippo is a former municipality in the district of Locarno in the canton of Ticino in Switzerland. With a population of just 12 inhabitants in July 2018, and dropping to 9 by December 2019 it was the smallest municipality in Switzerland. Despite ...

Brione (Verzasca) Brione (Verzasca) is former a municipality in the district of Locarno in the canton of Ticino in Switzerland. On 17 October 2020 the former municipalities of Vogorno, Sonogno, Corippo, Brione (Verzasca) and Frasco merged to form the new municipa ...

and

Frasco Frasco is a former municipality in the district of Locarno in the canton of Ticino in Switzerland. On 17 October 2020 the former municipalities of Vogorno, Sonogno, Corippo, Brione (Verzasca) and Frasco merged to form the new municipality of ...

merged to form the new municipality of Verzasca.

History

Following a vote organized on 10 June 2018 in seven municipalities of the

Valle Verzasca The Valle Verzasca is a valley in the Locarno district of the Canton of Ticino, Switzerland. It comprises the municipalities of Mergoscia, Vogorno, Corippo, Lavertezzo, Brione, Gerra, Frasco, and Sonogno. As of 2004, the total population ...

, the municipality was to be officially created on 5 April 2020 by the merger of seven municipalities of the Valle Verzasca, namely

Brione Brione may refer to the following places: ;in Italy * Brione, Lombardy, a ''comune'' in the Province of Brescia *Brione, Trentino, a ''comune'' in the Province of Trento ;in Switzerland: * Brione, Switzerland a ''comune'' in the Canton of Ticino * ...

, Lavertezzo Valle (locality of

Lavertezzo Lavertezzo is a municipality in the district of Locarno in the canton of Ticino in Switzerland. History Lavertezzo is first mentioned in 1327 as ''Laverteze''. In the Middle Ages, Lavertezzo was a ''Squadra'' of the '' Vicinanza'' of Verzasca. ...

and Gerra Valle (locality of

Cugnasco-Gerra Cugnasco-Gerra is a municipality in the canton of Ticino, Switzerland. It was formed on January 1, 2009, through the merger of Cugnasco and Gerra. Location Cugnasco-Gerra has an area, , of . Cugnasco is on the outskirts of the Magadino valley. ...

). The creation of the municipality was delayed until 17 October 2020.

Corippo

Corippo is first mentioned in 1224 as ''Culipo''. In 1374 it was mentioned as ''Quorippo''.

Brione

During the

Middle Ages In the history of Europe, the Middle Ages or medieval period lasted approximately from the late 5th to the late 15th centuries, similar to the post-classical period of global history. It began with the fall of the Western Roman Empire a ...

it was part of a ''squadra'' in the community of Verzasca. Later, it formed a '' Vicinanza'' together with Gerra. In 1852 they both became independent municipalities. As one of the main towns of the upper valley, it and

alternately presented the candidates for the offices of ''Podestà'' and governor. The Castello Marcacci was built in Brione in the 17th Century and was the summer residence of a traditional Podesta family, the Marcacci. The Church of Beata Vergine Assunta (expanded in the 17th Century and restored in the 19th Century) stands on the remains of a chapel from 1295 and contains

fresco Fresco (plural ''frescos'' or ''frescoes'') is a technique of mural painting executed upon freshly laid ("wet") lime plaster. Water is used as the vehicle for the dry-powder pigment to merge with the plaster, and with the setting of the plaste ...

es from the 14th (Giotto school in

Rimini Rimini ( , ; rgn, Rémin; la, Ariminum) is a city in the Emilia-Romagna region of northern Italy and capital city of the Province of Rimini. It sprawls along the Adriatic Sea, on the coast between the rivers Marecchia (the ancient ''Ariminu ...

) and the 15th Centuries. The

parish A parish is a territorial entity in many Christian denominations, constituting a division within a diocese. A parish is under the pastoral care and clerical jurisdiction of a priest, often termed a parish priest, who might be assisted by one or m ...

separated from Vogorno before 1518. In 1644, it established a fund to support a school and

chaplain A chaplain is, traditionally, a cleric (such as a Minister (Christianity), minister, priest, pastor, rabbi, purohit, or imam), or a laity, lay representative of a religious tradition, attached to a secularity, secular institution (such as a hosp ...

. The local economy was built mainly around agriculture and grazing. The seasonal migration is well documented since 1600. Since the 14th Century many of the residents have spent their winters with their cattle in the

Magadino Magadino is a former municipality in the district of Locarno in the canton of Ticino in Switzerland. On 25 April 2010, the former municipalities of Caviano, Contone, Gerra Gambarogno, Indemini, Magadino, Piazzogna, San Nazzaro, Sant'Abbondio ...

valley.

Frasco

Frasco is first mentioned in 1235 as ''Felasco''. During the

, Frasco was part of the greater '' Vicinanza'' of Verzasca. In 1395, it and

formed a single political municipality, which existed until 1843. The village church of St. Bernhard was probably built in the 14th Century. The present church dates from 1868–69 and stands on the foundations of the old building. In 1518 Frasco and Sonogno separated from the

of Vogorno and formed their own parish, which lasted until it divided again in 1734. For centuries, the inhabitants lived on agriculture and alpine seasonal migrations with livestock. Starting in 1870, the Val d'Efra, a vein of white

marble Marble is a metamorphic rock composed of recrystallized carbonate minerals, most commonly calcite or Dolomite (mineral), dolomite. Marble is typically not Foliation (geology), foliated (layered), although there are exceptions. In geology, the ...

, was exploited for

limestone Limestone ( calcium carbonate ) is a type of carbonate sedimentary rock which is the main source of the material lime. It is composed mostly of the minerals calcite and aragonite, which are different crystal forms of . Limestone forms whe ...

quarries. In 2000, the agricultural sector was the only sector providing jobs in Frasco, while about two-thirds of the workers were commuters. In the hamlet of Piede della Motta, there are

es from the 15th Century. All of the old settlement areas of the municipality are now protected as historical buildings. More recently, however, many houses have been built in the municipality.

Sonogno

Sonogno is first mentioned in 1200 as ''Sornono''. In 1417 it was mentioned as ''Senognio''. During the

, Sonogno was part of the '' Vicinanza'' of Verzasca and shared the fate of the valley. From 1395 to 1843, it formed a single community with

. It was part of the

until 1519, when it formed a parish with Frasco. It formed an independent parish in 1734. The

parish church A parish church (or parochial church) in Christianity is the church which acts as the religious centre of a parish. In many parts of the world, especially in rural areas, the parish church may play a significant role in community activities, ...

of St. Maria Loreto, is first documented in 1519. It was rebuilt in 1854 and decorated with paintings by Cherubino Patà. The local economy was based mostly on grazing. During the summer, the cattle grazed in the high alpine pastures, in the winter the cows were moved to their winter pastures in the Magadino. Due to limited jobs, many of the residents emigrated and after about 1850, many went overseas. Decedents of residents of Sonogno can be found in nearly 40 different countries. The more recent exodus to urban centers, combined with emigration have caused a steady decline of population since the mid-nineteenth century. The Museum of Verzasca was built in Sonogno in 1974. In 2005 the agricultural sector still offered 47% of jobs in the municipality.

Geography

After the merger, Verzasca has an area, (as of the 2004/09 survey), of .

Demographics

The new municipality has a population () of .

Historic Population

The historical population is given in the following chart: Colors= id:lightgrey value:gray(0.9) id:darkgrey value:gray(0.8) ImageSize = width:1100 height:500 PlotArea = height:350 left:100 bottom:90 right:100 Legend = columns:3 left:220 top:70 columnwidth:160 AlignBars = justify DateFormat = x.y Period = from:0 till:2700 TimeAxis = orientation:vertical AlignBars = justify ScaleMajor = gridcolor:darkgrey increment:500 start:0 ScaleMinor = gridcolor:lightgrey increment:100 start:0 Colors= id:VO value:yellowgreen legend:Vogorno id:SO value:green legend:Sonogno id:CO value:blue legend:Corippo id:BR value:red legend:Brione_(Verzasca) id:FR value:yellow legend:Frasco PlotData= color:yellowgreen width:30 mark:(line,white) align:center bar:1850 from: 0 till:658 text:"658" color:VO bar:1860 from: 0 till:454 text:"454" color:VO bar:1870 from: 0 till:672 text:"672" color:VO bar:1880 from: 0 till:617 text:"617" color:VO bar:1888 from: 0 till:496 text:"496" color:VO bar:1900 from: 0 till:661 text:"661" color:VO bar:1910 from: 0 till:548 text:"548" color:VO bar:1920 from: 0 till:504 text:"504" color:VO bar:1930 from: 0 till:403 text:"403" color:VO bar:1941 from: 0 till:408 text:"408" color:VO bar:1950 from: 0 till:364 text:"364" color:VO bar:1960 from: 0 till:351 text:"351" color:VO bar:1970 from: 0 till:252 text:"252" color:VO bar:1980 from: 0 till:263 text:"263" color:VO bar:1990 from: 0 till:268 text:"268" color:VO bar:2000 from: 0 till:304 text:"304" color:VO bar:2010 from: 0 till:286 text:"286" color:VO bar:1850 from: 658 till:992 text:"334" color:SO bar:1860 from: 454 till:797 text:"343" color:SO bar:1870 from: 672 till:980 text:"308" color:SO bar:1880 from: 617 till:819 text:"202" color:SO bar:1888 from: 496 till:661 text:"165" color:SO bar:1900 from: 661 till:954 text:"293" color:SO bar:1910 from: 548 till:811 text:"263" color:SO bar:1920 from: 504 till:797 text:"293" color:SO bar:1930 from: 403 till:519 text:"116" color:SO bar:1941 from: 408 till:567 text:"159" color:SO bar:1950 from: 364 till:515 text:"151" color:SO bar:1960 from: 351 till:485 text:"134" color:SO bar:1970 from: 252 till:338 text:"86" color:SO bar:1980 from: 263 till:355 text:"92" color:SO bar:1990 from: 268 till:344 text:"76" color:SO bar:2000 from: 304 till:390 text:"86" color:SO bar:2010 from: 286 till:378 text:"92" color:SO bar:1850 from: 992 till:1286 text:"294" color:CO bar:1860 from: 797 till:1017 text:"220" color:CO bar:1870 from: 980 till:1142 text:"162" color:CO bar:1880 from: 819 till:1018 text:"199" color:CO bar:1888 from: 661 till:770 text:"109" color:CO bar:1900 from: 954 till:1150 text:"196" color:CO bar:1910 from: 811 till:989 text:"178" color:CO bar:1920 from: 797 till:897 text:"100" color:CO bar:1930 from: 519 till:585 text:"66" color:CO bar:1941 from: 567 till:630 text:"63" color:CO bar:1950 from: 515 till:588 text:"73" color:CO bar:1960 from: 485 till:532 text:"47" color:CO bar:1970 from: 338 till:380 text:"42" color:CO bar:1980 from: 355 till:402 text:"47" color:CO bar:1990 from: 344 till:372 text:"28" color:CO bar:2000 from: 390 till:412 text:"22" color:CO bar:2010 from: 378 till:393 text:"15" color:CO bar:1850 from: 1286 till:2156 text:"870" color:BR bar:1860 from: 1017 till:1653 text:"636" color:BR bar:1870 from: 1142 till:1465 text:"323" color:BR bar:1880 from: 1018 till:1488 text:"470" color:BR bar:1888 from: 770 till:1210 text:"440" color:BR bar:1900 from: 1150 till:1826 text:"676" color:BR bar:1910 from: 989 till:1593 text:"604" color:BR bar:1920 from: 897 till:1420 text:"523" color:BR bar:1930 from: 585 till:839 text:"254" color:BR bar:1941 from: 630 till:932 text:"302" color:BR bar:1950 from: 588 till:937 text:"349" color:BR bar:1960 from: 532 till:869 text:"337" color:BR bar:1970 from: 380 till:588 text:"208" color:BR bar:1980 from: 402 till:587 text:"185" color:BR bar:1990 from: 372 till:530 text:"158" color:BR bar:2000 from: 412 till:615 text:"203" color:BR bar:2010 from: 393 till:597 text:"204" color:BR bar:1850 from: 2156 till:2601 text:"445" color:FR bar:1860 from: 1653 till:2036 text:"383" color:FR bar:1870 from: 1465 till:1908 text:"443" color:FR bar:1880 from: 1488 till:1817 text:"329" color:FR bar:1888 from: 1210 till:1459 text:"249" color:FR bar:1900 from: 1826 till:2171 text:"345" color:FR bar:1910 from: 1593 till:1855 text:"262" color:FR bar:1920 from: 1420 till:1598 text:"178" color:FR bar:1930 from: 839 till:955 text:"116" color:FR bar:1941 from: 932 till:1082 text:"150" color:FR bar:1950 from: 937 till:1065 text:"128" color:FR bar:1960 from: 869 till:978 text:"109" color:FR bar:1970 from: 588 till:653 text:"65" color:FR bar:1980 from: 587 till:648 text:"61" color:FR bar:1990 from: 530 till:587 text:"57" color:FR bar:2000 from: 615 till:715 text:"100" color:FR bar:2010 from: 597 till:708 text:"111" color:FR

Sights

The entire villages of Corippo, Brione (Verzasca) and Sonogno are designated as part of the

Inventory of Swiss Heritage Sites The Federal Inventory of Heritage Sites (ISOS) is part of a 1981 Ordinance of the Swiss Federal Council implementing the Federal Law on the Protection of Nature and Cultural Heritage. Sites of national importance Types The types are based on t ...

References

External links

{{Authority control Municipalities of Ticino 2020 establishments in Switzerland