Capolago-Riva San Vitale railway station 04

View of Monte San Salvatore from Capolago Lago 01

Capolago is a

village A village is a clustered human settlement or community, larger than a hamlet but smaller than a town (although the word is often used to describe both hamlets and smaller towns), with a population typically ranging from a few hundred to ...

situated at the south-eastern extremity of

Lake Lugano __NOTOC__ Lake Lugano ( it, Lago di Lugano or , from la, Ceresius lacus; lmo, Lagh de Lugan) is a glacial lake which is situated on the border between southern Switzerland and northern Italy. The lake, named after the city of Lugano, is situated ...

, in the

Swiss Swiss may refer to: * the adjectival form of Switzerland * Swiss people Places * Swiss, Missouri * Swiss, North Carolina *Swiss, West Virginia * Swiss, Wisconsin Other uses *Swiss-system tournament, in various games and sports *Swiss Internation ...

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 . ...

. Originally a municipality in its own right, Capolago is now a

quarter A quarter is one-fourth, , 25% or 0.25. Quarter or quarters may refer to: Places * Quarter (urban subdivision), a section or area, usually of a town Placenames * Quarter, South Lanarkshire, a settlement in Scotland * Le Quartier, a settlement ...

of the municipality of Mendrisio, itself part of the district of Mendrisio.

History

The first mention of the name of Capolago appears before 1300, in the general statutes of

Como Como (, ; lmo, Còmm, label=Comasco dialect, Comasco , or ; lat, Novum Comum; rm, Com; french: Côme) is a city and ''comune'' in Lombardy, Italy. It is the administrative capital of the Province of Como. Its proximity to Lake Como and ...

. In 1365, Capolago assumed greater importance due to the building of castle. The castle was dismantled in 1517. From then on, the village was largely concerned with fishing, and the ferrying of people and goods to and from

Lugano Lugano (, , ; lmo, label=Ticinese dialect, Ticinese, Lugan ) is a city and municipality in Switzerland, part of the Lugano District in the canton of Ticino. It is the largest city of both Ticino and the Italian-speaking southern Switzerland. Luga ...

. In 1556, Capolago was the birthplace of the architect

Carlo Maderno Carlo Maderno (Maderna) (1556 – 30 January 1629) was an Italian architect, born in today's Ticino, who is remembered as one of the fathers of Baroque architecture. His façades of Santa Susanna, St. Peter's Basilica and Sant'Andrea della Valle ...

. He is best remembered as one of the fathers of

Baroque architecture Baroque architecture is a highly decorative and theatrical style which appeared in Italy in the early 17th century and gradually spread across Europe. It was originally introduced by the Catholic Church, particularly by the Jesuits, as a means t ...

, responsible for the façades of

St. Peter's Basilica The Papal Basilica of Saint Peter in the Vatican ( it, Basilica Papale di San Pietro in Vaticano), or simply Saint Peter's Basilica ( la, Basilica Sancti Petri), is a church built in the Renaissance style located in Vatican City, the papal e ...

Santa Susanna The Church of Saint Susanna at the Baths of Diocletian ( it, Chiesa di Santa Susanna alle Terme di Diocleziano) is a Roman Catholic parish church located on the Quirinal Hill in Rome, Italy. There has been a titular church associated to its site ...

, and

Sant'Andrea della Valle Sant'Andrea della Valle is a minor basilica in the rione of Sant'Eustachio of the city of Rome, Italy. The basilica is the general seat for the religious order of the Theatines. It is located at Piazza Vidoni, at the intersection of Corso Vittori ...

, all in

Rome , established_title = Founded , established_date = 753 BC , founder = King Romulus (legendary) , image_map = Map of comune of Rome (metropolitan city of Capital Rome, region Lazio, Italy).svg , map_caption ...

. The construction of the

Melide causeway The Melide causeway crosses across Lake Lugano in the Swiss canton of Ticino, connecting the communities of Melide and Bissone, and provides the only domestic land connection between the southern section of Ticino, around Mendrisio and Chiass ...

, in 1841, followed by the opening of the local part of the

Gotthard Railway The Gotthard railway (german: Gotthardbahn; it, Ferrovia del Gottardo) is the Swiss trans-alpine railway line from northern Switzerland to the canton of Ticino. The line forms a major part of an important international railway link between no ...

, in 1874, saw changes to Capolago. The main road and railway brought better transport connections, but also reduced the need for boat services on the lake. However the opening of the

Monte Generoso railway The Monte Generoso Railway or Ferrovia Monte Generoso (MG) is a mountain railway line in the Italian language, Italian speaking cantons of Switzerland, canton of Ticino, in south-east Switzerland. The line runs from Capolago, on Lake Lugan ...

, in 1890, strengthened tourist traffic. In 1910, the

Mendrisio electric tramway The Mendrisio electric tramway ( it, Tram Elettrici Mendrisiensi, TEM) was a metre gauge electric tramway in the Swiss canton of Ticino. It linked the town of Chiasso with Riva San Vitale, via Balerna, Mendrisio and Capolago. It was operated by ...

opened, linking a northern terminus in

Riva San Vitale Riva San Vitale is a municipality in the canton of Ticino in Switzerland, located in the district of Mendrisio. History Riva San Vitale is first mentioned in 774 as ''Primo Sobenno''. In 1115 it was mentioned as ''Ripa Sancti Vitalis''. The ...

with Capolago,

Mendrisio Mendrisio (; lmo, label= Ticinese, Mendris ) is a municipality in the district of Mendrisio in the canton of Ticino in Switzerland. Mendrisio is the seat of the Accademia di Architettura of the university of Italian-speaking Switzerland (U ...

Balerna Balerna is a municipality in the district of Mendrisio in the canton of Ticino in Switzerland. History Balerna is first mentioned in 1115 as ''Barerna''. In 844 and 865, the monastery of S. Ambrogio in Milan purchased land in the ''concilium'' o ...

and

Chiasso Chiasso (; lmo, Ciass ) is a municipality in the district of Mendrisio in the canton of Ticino in Switzerland. As the southernmost of Switzerland's municipalities, Chiasso is on the border with Italy, in front of Ponte Chiasso (a frazione of C ...

. The section of the line in Capolago closed in 1948 and was replaced by a bus service. The town was also home to the historically important Tipografia Elvetica press, which published propaganda during the

Italian Italian(s) may refer to: * Anything of, from, or related to the people of Italy over the centuries ** Italians, an ethnic group or simply a citizen of the Italian Republic or Italian Kingdom ** Italian language, a Romance language *** Regional Ita ...

Risorgimento The unification of Italy ( it, Unità d'Italia ), also known as the ''Risorgimento'' (, ; ), was the 19th-century political and social movement that resulted in the consolidation of different states of the Italian Peninsula into a single ...

. In 1891, the town hosted the Italian anarchist

Capolago congress The Capolago congress, a meeting to establish an Italian anarchist federation, was held in Capolago, Switzerland, from January 4–6, 1891. Events The Capolago congress took place in Capolago, Switzerland, from January 4–6, 1891. The meet ...

, attended by anarchists including

Pietro Gori Pietro Gori (August 1, 1865–January 8, 1911) was an Italian lawyer, journalist, intellectual and anarchist poet. He is known for his political activities, and as author of some of the most famous anarchist songs of the late 19th century, i ...

Amilcare Cipriani Amilcare Cipriani (October 18, 1844 in Anzio – April 30, 1918 in Paris)Francesco Saverio Merlino, and

Errico Malatesta Errico Malatesta (4 December 1853 – 22 July 1932) was an Italian anarchist propagandist and revolutionary socialist. He edited several radical newspapers and spent much of his life exiled and imprisoned, having been jailed and expelled from ...

. In November 2007, the then independent municipalities of

Arzo Arzo was a municipality in the district of Mendrisio in the canton of Ticino in Switzerland. It had an area of and a population of 1,126 inhabitants (December 2007). On 5 April 2009 the municipalities of Arzo, Capolago, Genestrerio, Mendris ...

, Capolago,

Genestrerio Genestrerio was a municipality in the district of Mendrisio in the canton of Ticino in Switzerland. On 5 April 2009 the municipalities of Arzo, Capolago, Genestrerio, Mendrisio, Rancate Rancate was a municipality in the district of Men ...

Rancate Rancate was a municipality in the district of Mendrisio in the canton of Ticino in Switzerland. On 5 April 2009 the municipalities of Arzo, Capolago Capolago is a village situated at the south-eastern extremity of Lake Lugano, in the ...

and

Tremona Tremona was a municipality in the district of Mendrisio in the canton of Ticino in Switzerland. On 5 April 2009 the municipalities of Arzo, Capolago, Genestrerio, Mendrisio, Rancate Rancate was a municipality in the district of Mendrisio ...

voted to merge into the municipality of Mendrisio. The merger took place in April 2009.

Transport

Capolago has a station, Capolago-Riva San Vitale, on the

Gotthard line The Gotthard railway (german: Gotthardbahn; it, Ferrovia del Gottardo) is the Swiss trans-alpine railway line from northern Switzerland to the canton of Ticino. The line forms a major part of an important international railway link between nort ...

of the

Swiss Federal Railways Swiss Federal Railways (german: link=no, Schweizerische Bundesbahnen, ''SBB''; french: link=no, Chemins de fer fédéraux suisses, ''CFF''; it, Ferrovie federali svizzere, ''FFS'') is the national railway company of Switzerland. It is usuall ...

. The station is served by route S10 of the

Treni Regionali Ticino Lombardia TILO ( it, Treni Regionali Ticino Lombardia) is a limited company established in 2004 as a joint venture between Italian railway company Trenord and Swiss Federal Railways (SBB CFF FFS); both companies participate in the equity of TIL ...

(TILO), which operate every half-hour between

Bellinzona Bellinzona ( , , Ticinese ; french: Bellinzone ; german: Bellenz ; rm, Blizuna )is a municipality, a historic Swiss town, and the capital of the canton of Ticino in Switzerland. The town is famous for its three castles (Castelgrande, Montebell ...

and

, with some trains extending northwards to Airolo and southwards to

Milan Milan ( , , Lombard: ; it, Milano ) is a city in northern Italy, capital of Lombardy, and the second-most populous city proper in Italy after Rome. The city proper has a population of about 1.4 million, while its metropolitan city h ...

. The station is served also by the

, a

mountain railway A mountain railway is a railway that operates in a mountainous region. It may operate through the mountains by following mountain valleys and tunneling beneath mountain passes, or it may climb a mountain to provide transport to and from the sum ...

that climbs to the summit of the nearby

Monte Generoso Monte Generoso (also known as ''Calvagione'') is a mountain of the Lugano Prealps, located on the border between Switzerland and Italy and between Lake Lugano and Lake Como. The western and southern flanks of the mountain lie in the Swiss cant ...

. Capolago also has a landing stage (''Capolago Lago'') that is served, once or twice a day, by the boats of the

Società Navigazione del Lago di Lugano The ''Società Navigazione del Lago di Lugano'' or Lake Lugano Navigation Company (SNL) is a Swiss company operating passenger services on Lake Lugano. The company also operates bus routes in the same area, and is based at Cassarate in the city ...

and by the trains of the Monte Generoso railway. Buses of the Autolinea Mendrisiense and AutoPostale serve stops outside the station, providing links to

Arogno Arogno is a municipalities of Switzerland, municipality in the district of Lugano (district), Lugano in the Cantons of Switzerland, canton of Ticino, located south of Lake Lugano in the southernmost tip of Switzerland. History Arogno has been inh ...

Brusino Arsizio Brusino Arsizio is a municipality in the district of Lugano in the canton of Ticino in Switzerland on the Lake of Lugano. History The village has been inhabited since the Roman era. In 1970, a plundered Roman grave was found with grave goods. T ...

Melano Melano is a former municipality in the district of Lugano in the canton of Ticino in Switzerland. On 10 April 2022, the former municipalities of Maroggia, Melano and Rovio merged to form the new municipality of Val Mara. History A Roman era nec ...

Porto Ceresio Porto Ceresio ( Varesino: ''Pòrt Cerési'') is a ''comune'' (municipality) on Lake Lugano in the Province of Varese in the Italian region Lombardy, located about northwest of Milan and about northeast of Varese, on the border with Switzerlan ...

and Rovio.

References

External links

*
Capolago
on the City of Mendrisio's web site *
{{Authority control Former municipalities of Ticino Villages in the Mendrisio District Populated places on Lake Lugano