Italian mountain village wants to join Switzerland

The mountain village of Monteviasco is located in the middle of the hills at 1650 meters altitude in Lombardy, Italy. Rustic stone houses, small alleys and the peaceful ringing of cowbells – pure idyll. But the impression is deceptive.

The air is thick in the village above Lake Maggiore. Since the funicular — the only way to get from the valley to Monteviasco — was shut down in 2018, the mountain village couldn’t be more remote.

The residents don’t like that at all. With no action from the Italian authorities, the mountaineers are now taking their fate into their own hands. In a letter they published in the Italian daily “La Prealpina”, they now resort to the ultima ratio and call for joining Switzerland. The desperate request: “Annex us to Ticino.”

Only accessible on foot via 1400 steps

An annexation by Switzerland now seems to them “the only way” to reopen the funicular, according to the village, which is less than two kilometers from Ticino. If the border line were pulled further down, Italy’s bureaucratic shackles could be bypassed, the letter said.

The reason for the decommissioning of the funicular was a tragic accident in which the then funicular operator was killed. Since the railway has been stationary since the accident of 2018, the inhabitants of Monteviasco have to make do with a narrow path with more than 1400 steps.

Sardinia also wanted to be part of Switzerland

As the RSI writes, the Italians’ demand is a provocative cry for help. The village has no plans to actually change land. The idea that foreign regions want to be included in Switzerland is not new.

Demands are repeatedly made, especially from the northern Italian region of Lombardy. As the “NSZ” reported, there was already speculation in 2017 about the affiliation of certain Lombard regions with Switzerland.

But the efforts go back even further: the mountain village of Premana, which is only 50 kilometers from the Swiss border, already expressed its wish to belong to Switzerland in 2008. At the time, the accusation was the same as Monteviasco’s: the region does not care enough about the mountain village.

But not only Northern Italy has such intentions. In 2014, the efforts even made their way to Sardinia, as the “Luzerner Zeitung” reported. The Sardinians dreamed of being part of the Swiss Confederation.

When the number of Facebook groups for the “Canton marittimo” (Sea Canton) increased from 1,300 to 7,600, the people of the Mediterranean made headlines around the world with their desire to belong to Switzerland.

The letter has already led to initial reactions

It remains to be seen whether the municipality of Monteviasco can achieve the desired effect with the letter. However, the letter has already led to initial reactions.

In an appeal also published in the newspaper “La Prealpina”, Lega MP Stefano Candiani (50) called for tackling the long-standing problem with the cable car in Monteviasco: “It is time for a serious answer because it is not possible, but the state only remembers this small village when a sensational event takes place.”