Riva San Vitale, Switzerland
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Riva San Vitale is a
municipality A municipality is usually a single administrative division having municipal corporation, corporate status and powers of self-government or jurisdiction as granted by national and regional laws to which it is subordinate. The term ''municipality' ...
in the canton of
Ticino Ticino ( ), sometimes Tessin (), officially the Republic and Canton of Ticino or less formally the Canton of Ticino, is one of the Canton of Switzerland, 26 cantons forming the Switzerland, Swiss Confederation. It is composed of eight districts ...
in
Switzerland Switzerland, officially the Swiss Confederation, is a landlocked country located in west-central Europe. It is bordered by Italy to the south, France to the west, Germany to the north, and Austria and Liechtenstein to the east. Switzerland ...
, located in the district of
Mendrisio Mendrisio (; ) is a Municipalities of Switzerland, municipality in the district of Mendrisio (district), Mendrisio in the Cantons of Switzerland, canton of Ticino in Switzerland. Mendrisio is the seat of the Accademia di Architettura di Mendris ...
.


History

Riva San Vitale is first mentioned in 774 as ''Primo Sobenno''. In 1115 it was mentioned as ''Ripa Sancti Vitalis''. The area around Riva San Vitale has probably been settled since the
Neolithic The Neolithic or New Stone Age (from Ancient Greek, Greek 'new' and 'stone') is an archaeological period, the final division of the Stone Age in Mesopotamia, Asia, Europe and Africa (c. 10,000 BCE to c. 2,000 BCE). It saw the Neolithic Revo ...
. Due to the number of Roman era finds, it appears that there was a significant Roman settlement. A stele from some time before the 3rd century AD mentions that it was made for the inhabitants of '' vicus subinates''. In 1115, the
Benedictine The Benedictines, officially the Order of Saint Benedict (, abbreviated as O.S.B. or OSB), are a mainly contemplative monastic order of the Catholic Church for men and for women who follow the Rule of Saint Benedict. Initiated in 529, th ...
abbey of S. Abbondio in Como owned property in Riva San Vitale. During the ten-year war between Como and
Milan Milan ( , , ; ) is a city in northern Italy, regional capital of Lombardy, the largest city in Italy by urban area and the List of cities in Italy, second-most-populous city proper in Italy after Rome. The city proper has a population of nea ...
(1118–27) its port was an important base for the Comasker ships. Riva San Vitale was mentioned in the Charter of Como from 1335 as a '' burgus''. In the
Late Middle Ages The late Middle Ages or late medieval period was the Periodization, period of History of Europe, European history lasting from 1300 to 1500 AD. The late Middle Ages followed the High Middle Ages and preceded the onset of the early modern period ( ...
, it lost its leading position in trade to Capolago, but still enjoyed far-reaching privileges and tax exemption. In the 15th century it was a
market town A market town is a settlement most common in Europe that obtained by custom or royal charter, in the Middle Ages, a market right, which allowed it to host a regular market; this distinguished it from a village or city. In Britain, small rura ...
for a short time. The Parish Church of St. Vitale is first mentioned in 962–966. However, the church likely dates back to the
Christianization Christianization (or Christianisation) is a term for the specific type of change that occurs when someone or something has been or is being converted to Christianity. Christianization has, for the most part, spread through missions by individu ...
of the southern foothills of the
Alps The Alps () are some of the highest and most extensive mountain ranges in Europe, stretching approximately across eight Alpine countries (from west to east): Monaco, France, Switzerland, Italy, Liechtenstein, Germany, Austria and Slovenia. ...
. It was rebuilt in the late Baroque style in 1756-59 and renovated in 1993–95. The
Baptistery In Church architecture, Christian architecture the baptistery or baptistry (Old French ''baptisterie''; Latin ''baptisterium''; Greek language, Greek , 'bathing-place, baptistery', from , baptízein, 'to baptize') is the separate centrally planned ...
of San Giovanni is built on the foundations of a Roman building and is from the early Christian era (c. 500 AD). It was renovated in 1919-26 and again in 1953-55 and is the oldest fully preserved churches in Switzerland. The church of S. Croce was endowed by the Della Croce family and was built in 1582–91. It is one of the most important religious buildings of the late
Renaissance The Renaissance ( , ) is a Periodization, period of history and a European cultural movement covering the 15th and 16th centuries. It marked the transition from the Middle Ages to modernity and was characterized by an effort to revive and sur ...
in Switzerland. Agriculture, fisheries and brick works were once the main sources of income. In 1869 a
silk Silk is a natural fiber, natural protein fiber, some forms of which can be weaving, woven into textiles. The protein fiber of silk is composed mainly of fibroin and is most commonly produced by certain insect larvae to form cocoon (silk), c ...
weaving plant opened in Segoma, which employed about 100 workers in 1889. In the second half of the 20th century, Riva San Vitale saw an industrial boom that was accompanied by an increase in population. In 2000, approximately three-quarters of workers in the municipality were commuters, especially going to
Lugano Lugano ( , , ; ) is a city and municipality within the Lugano District in the canton of Ticino, Switzerland. It is the largest city in both Ticino and the Italian-speaking region of southern Switzerland. Lugano has a population () of , and an u ...
,
Mendrisio Mendrisio (; ) is a Municipalities of Switzerland, municipality in the district of Mendrisio (district), Mendrisio in the Cantons of Switzerland, canton of Ticino in Switzerland. Mendrisio is the seat of the Accademia di Architettura di Mendris ...
and Chiasso. In 2005, the manufacturing sector provided 45% and the services sector 52% of all jobs. The Collegio Baragiola building was used as a secondary school from 1855 until 1925. In 1926, the Istituto Canisio, a special school for the disabled, opened in the building. In 1910, the Mendrisio electric tramway opened, linking a northern terminus in Riva San Vitale with Capolago, Mendrisio, Balerna and Chiasso. The section of the line in Riva San Vitale closed in 1948 and was replaced by a bus service.


The Pieve of Riva San Vitale

Riva San Vitale was one of the oldest centers of the diocese of Como, to which it belonged until 1884/88. From here, Christianity spread into the Ticino. Together with the Pieves of Balerna and Uggiate (Como) in the 12th century, the parish formed a consortium. A canon priest is first mentioned in 1190, when Lafrancus de Mellano (died 1254) is called to that position. The number of resident and non-resident canons, is difficult to determine. In 1190 and 1321 two are mentioned. In 1786, Pope Pius VI dissolved the college of canons. Originally the Pieve included Rovio, Bissone, Meriden, Tremona, Brusino, Arsizio, Rancate, Arzo, Besazio, Melano, Arogno, Maroggia and Saltrio (Varese). The Pieve was also a secular administrative unit which, in contrast to the church, included Capolago after 1416, but not Saltrio. In 1170 it was part of the county of Seprio, and in the 13th century it was under the city of Como. At the beginning of the 15th century it formed, together with the Pieves of Agno, Balerna and Capriasca, the Lugano Valley Community. In 1517, under Swiss Confederation rule, it became part of the bailiwick of
Lugano Lugano ( , , ; ) is a city and municipality within the Lugano District in the canton of Ticino, Switzerland. It is the largest city in both Ticino and the Italian-speaking region of southern Switzerland. Lugano has a population () of , and an u ...
. The Pieve of Riva San Vitale was represented both at the General Conference of the valley (which had power over financial and tax matters as well the salt supply), and in the ''Landschaftsrat'', the valley's administrative body. After the failed attempt on 15 February 1798 for the bailiwick of Lugano to join the Cisalpine Republic, the Pieve formed the Republic of Riva San Vitale. The Republic only existed a few weeks, from 23 February until 16 March 1798. In 1803 the Pieve of Riva San Vitale was added to the district of Lugano and divided into two sections, Ceresio and Riva San Vitale. In 1814 they became part of the district of Mendrisio.


Geography

Riva San Vitale has an area, , of . Of this area, or 19.6% is used for agricultural purposes, while or 73.2% is forested. Of the rest of the land, or 14.7% is settled (buildings or roads), or 1.3% is either rivers or lakes and or 0.5% is unproductive land. Of the built up area, industrial buildings made up 2.3% of the total area while housing and buildings made up 9.7% and transportation infrastructure made up 1.7%. Out of the forested land, 71.2% of the total land area is heavily forested and 2.0% is covered with orchards or small clusters of trees. Of the agricultural land, 5.9% is used for growing crops, while 4.0% is used for orchards or vine crops and 9.7% is used for alpine pastures. Of the water in the municipality, 0.7% is in lakes and 0.7% is in rivers and streams. The municipality is located in the Mendrisio district, on the southern end of Lake Lugano and at the foot of Monte San Giorgio. It consists of the village of Riva San Vitale and the
hamlet ''The Tragedy of Hamlet, Prince of Denmark'', often shortened to ''Hamlet'' (), is a Shakespearean tragedy, tragedy written by William Shakespeare sometime between 1599 and 1601. It is Shakespeare's longest play. Set in Denmark, the play (the ...
of Poiana.


Coat of arms

The
blazon In heraldry and heraldic vexillology, a blazon is a formal description of a coat of arms, flag or similar emblem, from which the reader can reconstruct an accurate image. The verb ''to blazon'' means to create such a description. The visual d ...
of the municipal
coat of arms A coat of arms is a heraldry, heraldic communication design, visual design on an escutcheon (heraldry), escutcheon (i.e., shield), surcoat, or tabard (the last two being outer garments), originating in Europe. The coat of arms on an escutcheon f ...
is ''Gules an arm issuant from dexter armoured argent embowed holding a sword hilted and pommed or.''


Demographics

Riva San Vitale has a population () of . , 16.4% of the population are resident foreign nationals.Swiss Federal Statistical Office – Superweb database – Gemeinde Statistics 1981-2008
accessed 19 June 2010
Between 1997 and 2007, the population changed at a rate of 10.4%.
accessed 3 February 2011
As of 2000, most of the population spoke Italian (2,089 or 91.1%), with German being second most common (117 or 5.1%) and French being third (24 or 1.0%). There was one person who spoke Romansh. , the gender distribution of the population was 48.9% male and 51.1% female. The population was made up of 1,008 Swiss men (40.5% of the population), and 210 (8.4%) non-Swiss men. There were 1,082 Swiss women (43.5%), and 190 (7.6%) non-Swiss women. Of the population in the municipality 890 or about 38.8% were born in Riva San Vitale and lived there in 2000. There were 648 or 28.3% who were born in the same canton, while 199 or 8.7% were born somewhere else in Switzerland, and 491 or 21.4% were born outside of Switzerland. In there were 20 live births to Swiss citizens and three births to non-Swiss citizens, and in same time span there were 17 deaths of Swiss citizens and two non-Swiss citizen deaths. Ignoring immigration and emigration, the population of Swiss citizens increased by three while the foreign population increased by one. There were three Swiss men and four Swiss women who emigrated from Switzerland. At the same time, there were 12 non-Swiss men and two non-Swiss women who immigrated from another country to Switzerland. The total Swiss population change in 2008 (from all sources, including moves across municipal borders) was a decrease of one, and the non-Swiss population change was a decrease of four people. This represents a population growth rate of -0.2%. The age distribution, , in Riva San Vitale was 209 children or 8.4% of the population are between 0 and 9 years old and 291 teenagers or 11.7% are between 10 and 19. Of the adult population, 255 people or 10.2% of the population are between 20 and 29 years old. 319 people or 12.8% are between 30 and 39, 476 people or 19.1% are between 40 and 49, and 328 people or 13.2% are between 50 and 59. The senior population distribution is 300 people or 12.0% of the population are between 60 and 69 years old, 210 people or 8.4% are between 70 and 79, there are 102 people or 4.1% who are over 80.01.02.03 Popolazione residente permanente
accessed 23 November 2010
, there were 938 people who were single and never married in the municipality. There were 1,142 married individuals, 119 widows or widowers and 93 individuals who are divorced.STAT-TAB Datenwürfel für Thema 40.3 – 2000
accessed 2 February 2011
, there were 924 private households in the municipality, and an average of 2.4 persons per household. There were 247 households that consist of only one person and 44 households with five or more people. Out of a total of 926 households that answered this question, 26.7% were households made up of just one person and 17 were adults who lived with their parents. Of the rest of the households, there are 230 married couples without children, 359 married couples with children There were 50 single parents with a child or children. There were 21 households that were made up unrelated people and two households that were made some sort of institution or another collective housing. there were 472 single family homes (or 67.5% of the total) out of a total of 699 inhabited buildings. There were 192 multi-family buildings (27.5%), along with 18 multi-purpose buildings that were mostly used for housing (2.6%) and 17 other use buildings (commercial or industrial) that also had some housing (2.4%). Of the single family homes 8 were built before 1919, while 74 were built between 1990 and 2000. The greatest number of single family homes (100) were built between 1919 and 1945.Federal Statistical Office STAT-TAB – Datenwürfel für Thema 09.2 – Gebäude und Wohnungen
accessed 28 January 2011
there were 1,137 apartments in the municipality. The most common apartment size was four rooms of which there were 361. There were 24 single room apartments and 307 apartments with five or more rooms. Of these apartments, a total of 913 apartments (80.3% of the total) were permanently occupied, while 215 apartments (18.9%) were seasonally occupied and 9 apartments (0.8%) were empty. , the construction rate of new housing units was 3.6 new units per 1000 residents. The vacancy rate for the municipality, , was 0%. The historical population is given in the following chart: Colors= id:lightgrey value:gray(0.9) id:darkgrey value:gray(0.8) ImageSize = width:1200 height:210 PlotArea = height:150 left:100 bottom:50 right:100 AlignBars = justify DateFormat = x.y Period = from:0 till:3000 TimeAxis = orientation:vertical AlignBars = justify ScaleMajor = gridcolor:darkgrey increment:500 start:0 ScaleMinor = gridcolor:lightgrey increment:100 start:0 PlotData= color:yellowgreen width:30 mark:(line,white) align:center bar:1591 from:start till:500 text:"500" bar:1643 from:start till:517 text:"517" bar:1719 from:start till:600 text:"600" bar:1801 from:start till:611 text:"611" bar:1850 from:start till:851 text:"851" bar:1860 from:start till:913 text:"913" bar:1870 from:start till:1014 text:"1,014" bar:1880 from:start till:1149 text:"1,149" bar:1888 from:start till:1106 text:"1,106" bar:1900 from:start till:1333 text:"1,333" bar:1910 from:start till:1355 text:"1,355" bar:1920 from:start till:1109 text:"1,109" bar:1930 from:start till:1119 text:"1,119" bar:1941 from:start till:1145 text:"1,145" bar:1950 from:start till:1166 text:"1,166" bar:1960 from:start till:1358 text:"1,358" bar:1970 from:start till:1607 text:"1,607" bar:1980 from:start till:1837 text:"1,837" bar:1990 from:start till:2181 text:"2,181" bar:2000 from:start till:2292 text:"2,292" bar:2010 from:start till:2490 text:"2,490" bar:2020 from:start till:2654 text:"2,654"


Heritage sites of national significance

The Baptistery of S. Giovanni, the Bianchi House, the Church of S. Croce and the Palazzo della Croce are listed as Swiss heritage site of national significance. The entire town of Riva San Vitale is part of the Inventory of Swiss Heritage Sites. File:03BattisteroRivaSVitale.jpg , Baptistry of S. Giovanni File:Riva San Vitale Affreschi 03.jpg, Interior of the Baptistry of S. Giovanni File:Bapètistry of Riva San Vitale, Interior.jpg, Interior of the Baptistry of S. Giovanni File:05SCroceRivaSVitale.JPG , Church of S. Croce


Politics

In the '' Gran Consiglio'' election, there were a total of 1,698 registered voters in Riva San Vitale, of which 1,249 or 73.6% voted. 29 blank ballots and four null ballots were cast, leaving 1,216 valid ballots in the election. The most popular party was the PPD+GenGiova which received 358 or 29.4% of the vote. The next three most popular parties were; the PLRT (with 214 or 17.6%), the LEGA (with 190 or 15.6%) and the SSI (with 189 or 15.5%).Elezioni cantonali: Gran Consiglio, Consiglio di Stato
accessed 23 November 2010
In the ''Consiglio di Stato'' election, 19 blank ballots and seven null ballots were cast, leaving 1,223 valid ballots in the election. The most popular party was the PPD which received 366 or 29.9% of the vote. The next three most popular parties were; the LEGA (with 241 or 19.7%), the PLRT (with 205 or 16.8%) and the PS (with 186 or 15.2%). In the 2007 federal election ( National Council) the most popular party was the PPD which received 28% of the vote. The next three most popular parties were the PLRT (17%), the LEGA (15.2%) and the PS (13.5%). In the federal election, a total of 982 votes were cast, and the
voter turnout In political science, voter turnout is the participation rate (often defined as those who cast a ballot) of a given election. This is typically either the percentage of Voter registration, registered voters, Suffrage, eligible voters, or all Voti ...
was 56.1%. In the '' Gran Consiglio'' election, there were a total of 1,802 registered voters in Riva San Vitale, of which 1,258 or 69.81% voted. 22 blank ballots and 3 null ballots were cast, leaving 1,233 valid ballots in the election. The most popular party was the PPD+GenGiova which received 304 or 24.66% of the vote. The next three most popular parties were; the LEGA (with 245 or 19.87%), the SSI (with 218 or 17.68%) and the PLRT (with 191 or 15.49%). In the ''Consiglio di Stato'' election, 24 blank ballots and seven null ballots were cast, leaving 1,227 valid ballots in the election. The most popular party was the PPD which received 325 or 26.49% of the vote. The next three most popular parties were; the LEGA (with 316 or 25.75%), the SSI (with 185 or 15.08%) and the PLRT (with 181 or 14.75%). In the 2011 federal election ( National Council) the most popular party was the PPD which received 28.61% of the vote. The next three most popular parties were the LEGA (20.17%), the PLRT (15.52%) and the SSI (9.41%). In the federal election, a total of 1,065 votes were cast, and the
voter turnout In political science, voter turnout is the participation rate (often defined as those who cast a ballot) of a given election. This is typically either the percentage of Voter registration, registered voters, Suffrage, eligible voters, or all Voti ...
was 59.04%. In the '' Gran Consiglio'' election, there were a total of 1,865 registered voters in Riva San Vitale, of which 1,340 or 71.85% voted. 41 blank ballots and 6 null ballots were cast, leaving 1,293 valid ballots in the election. The most popular party was the PPD+GenGiova which received 303 or 23.43% of the vote. The next three most popular parties were; the LEGA (with 302 or 23.36%), the SSI (with 235 or 18.17%) and the PLRT (with 187 or 14.46%). In the ''Consiglio di Stato'' election, 38 blank ballots and 12 null ballots were cast, leaving 1,291 valid ballots in the election. The most popular party was the LEGA which received 349 or 27.03% of the vote. The next three most popular parties were; the PPD (with 289 or 22.39%), the SSI (with 226 or 17.51%) and the PLRT (with 181 or 14.02%). In the 2015 federal election ( National Council) the most popular party was the PPD which received 26.72% of the vote. The next three most popular parties were the LEGA (26.16%), the PLRT (13.88%) and the PS (11.99%). In the federal election, a total of 1,082 votes were cast, and the
voter turnout In political science, voter turnout is the participation rate (often defined as those who cast a ballot) of a given election. This is typically either the percentage of Voter registration, registered voters, Suffrage, eligible voters, or all Voti ...
was 58.61%. In the '' Gran Consiglio'' election, there were a total of 1,924 registered voters in Riva San Vitale, of which 1,219 or 63.36% voted. 48 blank ballots and eight null ballots were cast, leaving 1,163 valid ballots in the election. The most popular party was the PPD+GenGiova which received 238 or 20.46% of the vote. The next three most popular parties were; the LEGA (with 235 or 20.21%), the SSI (with 231 or 19.86%) and the PLRT (with 172 or 14.79%). In the ''Consiglio di Stato'' election, 59 blank ballots and eight null ballots were cast, leaving 1,152 valid ballots in the election. The most popular party was the LEGA which received 317 or 27.52% of the vote. The next three most popular parties were; the PPD (with 236 or 20.49%), the SSI (with 216 or 18.65%) and the PLRT (with 173 or 15.02%) In the 2019 federal election ( National Council) the most popular party was the PPD which received 24.18% of the vote. The next three most popular parties were the LEGA (17.55%), the PLRT (13.37%) and the PS (9.80%). In the federal election, a total of 1,006 votes were cast, and the
voter turnout In political science, voter turnout is the participation rate (often defined as those who cast a ballot) of a given election. This is typically either the percentage of Voter registration, registered voters, Suffrage, eligible voters, or all Voti ...
was 53.85%.


Economy

, Riva San Vitale had an unemployment rate of 3.25%. , there were 31 people employed in the primary economic sector and about 9 businesses involved in this sector. 322 people were employed in the secondary sector and there were 43 businesses in this sector. 370 people were employed in the tertiary sector, with 72 businesses in this sector. There were 1,099 residents of the municipality who were employed in some capacity, of which females made up 39.3% of the workforce. the total number of full-time equivalent jobs was 656. The number of jobs in the primary sector was 32, of which 18 were in agricultureand 14 were in forestry or lumber production. The number of jobs in the secondary sector was 343, of which 214 or (62.4%) were in manufacturing and 120 (35.0%) were in construction. The number of jobs in the tertiary sector was 281. In the tertiary sector; 69 or 24.6% were in wholesale or retail sales or the repair of motor vehicles, 10 or 3.6% were in the movement and storage of goods, 30 or 10.7% were in a hotel or restaurant, 5 or 1.8% were in the information industry, 5 or 1.8% were the insurance or financial industry, 26 or 9.3% were technical professionals or scientists, 101 or 35.9% were in education and 8 or 2.8% were in health care. , there were 843 workers who commuted into the municipality and 817 workers who commuted away. The municipality is a net importer of workers, with about 1.0 workers entering the municipality for every one leaving. About 35.1% of the workforce coming into Riva San Vitale are coming from outside Switzerland, while 0.4% of the locals commute out of Switzerland for work.Swiss Federal Statistical Office – Statweb
accessed 24 June 2010
Of the working population, 9.5% used public transportation to get to work, and 62.1% used a private car. , there was one hotel in Riva San Vitale.


Transport

Riva San Vitale is served by the Capolago-Riva San Vitale railway station on the Gotthardbahn railway, which is situated about away in the adjoining community of Capolago. Buses of the Autolinea Mendrisiense provide a link to the station, as well as services to Brusino Arsizio, Mendrisio and Porto Ceresio.


Religion

From the , 1,914 or 83.5% were
Roman Catholic The Catholic Church (), also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the largest Christian church, with 1.27 to 1.41 billion baptized Catholics worldwide as of 2025. It is among the world's oldest and largest international institut ...
, while 86 or 3.8% belonged to the Swiss Reformed Church. Of the rest of the population, there were 7 members of an Orthodox church (or about 0.31% of the population), there were 4 individuals (or about 0.17% of the population) who belonged to the Christian Catholic Church, and there were 11 individuals (or about 0.48% of the population) who belonged to another Christian church. There were 7 (or about 0.31% of the population) who were
Islam Islam is an Abrahamic religions, Abrahamic monotheistic religion based on the Quran, and the teachings of Muhammad. Adherents of Islam are called Muslims, who are estimated to number Islam by country, 2 billion worldwide and are the world ...
ic. There were 7 individuals who were
Buddhist Buddhism, also known as Buddhadharma and Dharmavinaya, is an Indian religion and List of philosophies, philosophical tradition based on Pre-sectarian Buddhism, teachings attributed to the Buddha, a wandering teacher who lived in the 6th or ...
, 14 individuals who were
Hindu Hindus (; ; also known as Sanātanīs) are people who religiously adhere to Hinduism, also known by its endonym Sanātana Dharma. Jeffery D. Long (2007), A Vision for Hinduism, IB Tauris, , pp. 35–37 Historically, the term has also be ...
and 2 individuals who belonged to another church. 133 (or about 5.80% of the population) belonged to no church, are agnostic or atheist, and 107 individuals (or about 4.67% of the population) did not answer the question.


Education

In Riva San Vitale about 932 or (40.7%) of the population have completed non-mandatory upper secondary education, and 231 or (10.1%) have completed additional higher education (either
university A university () is an educational institution, institution of tertiary education and research which awards academic degrees in several Discipline (academia), academic disciplines. ''University'' is derived from the Latin phrase , which roughly ...
or a '' Fachhochschule''). Of the 231 who completed tertiary schooling, 51.1% were Swiss men, 30.3% were Swiss women, 13.4% were non-Swiss men and 5.2% were non-Swiss women. In Riva San Vitale there were a total of 428 students (). The Ticino education system provides up to three years of non-mandatory
kindergarten Kindergarten is a preschool educational approach based on playing, singing, practical activities such as drawing, and social interaction as part of the transition from home to school. Such institutions were originally made in the late 18th cen ...
and in Riva San Vitale there were 59 children in kindergarten. The primary school program lasts for five years and includes both a standard school and a special school. In the municipality, 117 students attended the standard primary schools and 4 students attended the special school. In the lower secondary school system, students either attend a two-year middle school followed by a two-year pre-apprenticeship or they attend a four-year program to prepare for higher education. There were 114 students in the two-year middle school and 2 in their pre-apprenticeship, while 52 students were in the four-year advanced program. The upper secondary school includes several options, but at the end of the upper secondary program, a student will be prepared to enter a trade or to continue on to a university or college. In Ticino, vocational students may either attend school while working on their internship or apprenticeship (which takes three or four years) or may attend school followed by an internship or apprenticeship (which takes one year as a full-time student or one and a half to two years as a part-time student). There were 31 vocational students who were attending school full-time and 44 who attend part-time. The professional program lasts three years and prepares a student for a job in engineering, nursing, computer science, business, tourism and similar fields. There were 5 students in the professional program. , there were 321 students in Riva San Vitale who came from another municipality, while 95 residents attended schools outside the municipality. A branch of an American university,
Virginia Tech The Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University, commonly referred to as Virginia Tech (VT), is a Public university, public Land-grant college, land-grant research university with its main campus in Blacksburg, Virginia, United States ...
's Steger Center for International Scholarship, is located in a historic
villa A villa is a type of house that was originally an ancient Roman upper class country house that provided an escape from urban life. Since its origins in the Roman villa, the idea and function of a villa have evolved considerably. After the f ...
in Riva San Vitale. Formerly known as the Center for European Studies and Architecture (CESA), it is Virginia Tech's European campus center and base for operations and support of its programs in the region."Virginia Tech renames its primary facility abroad for former President Charles W. Steger" http://www.vtnews.vt.edu/articles/2014/06/062414-caus-stegercenter.html; "Center for European Studies and Architecture at Virginia Tech" http://www.oired.vt.edu/cesa/index.htm Housed in the 250-year-old Villa Maderni, the provides various academic programs for the undergraduate and graduate students of Virginia Tech. The main offering of the Steger Center is its semester-long student residence program. In this program, students live in the municipality, attend classes in the Villa Maderni learning facilities, and participate in field trips around Europe that complement the academic program. The university also offers summer study-abroad programs at the center.


References

{{Authority control Cities in Switzerland Cultural property of national significance in Ticino Populated places on Lake Lugano