Besazio (''Besasc'' in
lombard) 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 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 ...
in the
canton
Canton may refer to:
Administrative divisions
* Canton (administrative division), territorial/administrative division in some countries
* Township (Canada), known as ''canton'' in Canadian French
Arts and entertainment
* Canton (band), an It ...
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 ...
. On 14 April 2013, the former municipalities of Besazio,
Ligornetto and
Meride
Meride is a village and former Municipalities of Switzerland, municipality in the district of Mendrisio (district), Mendrisio in the Cantons of Switzerland, canton of Ticino in Switzerland. On 14 April 2013 the former municipalities of Besazio, ...
merged into the municipality 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 ...
.
[Amtliches Gemeindeverzeichnis der Schweiz]
published by the Swiss Federal Statistical Office accessed 19 April 2013
History
Besazio was first mentioned in 1335 as ''Besatio''. In 15th to 18th centuries, it was called ''Besaccio''.
[ A settlement in this area was first mentioned in 1254, but the area has been settled since ancient times, as ]Roman era
In modern historiography, ancient Rome is the Roman people, Roman civilisation from the founding of Rome, founding of the Italian city of Rome in the 8th century BC to the Fall of the Western Roman Empire, collapse of the Western Roman Em ...
and Early Middle Ages
The Early Middle Ages (or early medieval period), sometimes controversially referred to as the Dark Ages (historiography), Dark Ages, is typically regarded by historians as lasting from the late 5th to the 10th century. They marked the start o ...
objects indicate. In 1335, it was mentioned as part of the Pieve
In Italy in the Middle Ages, a ''pieve'' (, ; ; : ''pievi'') was a rural church with a baptistery, upon which other churches without baptisteries depended. ''Pieve'' is also an Italian and Corsican term signifying the medieval ecclesiastical/a ...
of Riva San Vitale
Riva San Vitale is a Municipalities of Switzerland, municipality in the Cantons of Switzerland, canton of Ticino in Switzerland, located in the district of Mendrisio (district), Mendrisio.
History
Riva San Vitale is first mentioned in 774 as ' ...
. It became the center of its own parish
A parish is a territorial entity in many Christianity, Christian denominations, constituting a division within a diocese. A parish is under the pastoral care and clerical jurisdiction of a priest#Christianity, priest, often termed a parish pries ...
in 1579. The first parish church
A parish church (or parochial church) in Christianity is the Church (building), 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 com ...
of St. Antonino dates from before that date, but the exact age is unknown. According to tradition, the bell tower is a converted signal tower, while the sacristy
A sacristy, also known as a vestry or preparation room, is a room in Christianity, Christian churches for the keeping of vestments (such as the alb and chasuble) and other church furnishings, sacred vessels, and parish records.
The sacristy is us ...
is a former guard-house. In 1654 parish church of S. Maria Immacolata was built in a central location. It was rebuilt at the end of the 18th century, and renovated in 1964.[
The main sources of income of the inhabitants was agriculture and ]marble
Marble is a metamorphic rock consisting of carbonate minerals (most commonly calcite (CaCO3) or Dolomite (mineral), dolomite (CaMg(CO3)2) that have recrystallized under the influence of heat and pressure. It has a crystalline texture, and is ty ...
mining as well as emigration to work as bricklayers. The recent economic and population growth has gradually changed the municipality into a commuter town
A commuter town is a populated area that is primarily residential rather than commercial or industrial. Routine travel from home to work and back is called commuting, which is where the term comes from. A commuter town may be called by many o ...
.[
]
Geography
Before the merger, Besazio had a total area of .[ Of this area, or 64.8% is used for agricultural purposes, while or 31.8% is forested. Of the rest of the land, or 21.6% is settled (buildings or roads).
Of the built up area, housing and buildings made up 19.3% and transportation infrastructure made up 2.3%. Out of the forested land, 20.5% of the total land area is heavily forested and 11.4% is covered with orchards or small clusters of trees. Of the agricultural land, 20.5% is used for growing crops, while 25.0% is used for orchards or vine crops and 19.3% is used for alpine pastures.
The former municipality is located in the Mendrisio district to the west of Mendrisio.
]
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 a pair of compasses or in chief and in base a marble stone with a carved B proper.'' The stone and compass refer to the local marble quarry.
Demographics
Besazio had a population (as of 2011) of 618.[Swiss Federal Statistical Office]
accessed 19 April 2013 , 8.8% of the population are resident foreign nationals.
accessed 19 June 2010 Over the last 10 years (1997–2007) the population has changed at a rate of 30.4%.
Most of the population () speaks Italian
Italian(s) may refer to:
* Anything of, from, or related to the people of Italy over the centuries
** Italians, a Romance ethnic group related to or simply a citizen of the Italian Republic or Italian Kingdom
** Italian language, a Romance languag ...
(86.4%), with German
German(s) may refer to:
* Germany, the country of the Germans and German things
**Germania (Roman era)
* Germans, citizens of Germany, people of German ancestry, or native speakers of the German language
** For citizenship in Germany, see also Ge ...
being second most common (10.2%) and French
French may refer to:
* Something of, from, or related to France
** French language, which originated in France
** French people, a nation and ethnic group
** French cuisine, cooking traditions and practices
Arts and media
* The French (band), ...
being third (1.4%).[ Of the Swiss national languages (), 51 speak German, 7 people speak French, 433 people speak Italian. The remainder (10 people) speak another language.][Popolazione residente, secondo la lingua principale e la religione, nel 2000]
accessed 23 November 2010
, the gender distribution of the population was 49.0% male and 51.0% female. The population was made up of 280 Swiss men (43.7% of the population), and 34 (5.3%) non-Swiss men. There were 299 Swiss women (46.6%), and 28 (4.4%) non-Swiss women.[
In there were 4 live births to Swiss citizens and 1 birth to non-Swiss citizens, and in same time span there were 4 deaths of Swiss citizens and 1 non-Swiss citizen death. Ignoring immigration and emigration, the population of Swiss citizens remained the same while the foreign population remained the same. There was 1 Swiss woman who emigrated from Switzerland. At the same time, there was 1 non-Swiss man who emigrated from Switzerland to another country and 2 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 an increase of 4 and the non-Swiss population change was a decrease of 5 people. This represents a ]population growth rate
Population growth is the increase in the number of people in a population or dispersed group. The global population has grown from 1 billion in 1800 to 8.2 billion in 2025. Actual global human population growth amounts to around 70 million annu ...
of -0.2%.[
The age distribution, , in Besazio is; 60 children or 9.4% of the population are between 0 and 9 years old and 78 teenagers or 12.2% are between 10 and 19. Of the adult population, 50 people or 7.8% of the population are between 20 and 29 years old. 70 people or 10.9% are between 30 and 39, 120 people or 18.7% are between 40 and 49, and 84 people or 13.1% are between 50 and 59. The senior population distribution is 83 people or 12.9% of the population are between 60 and 69 years old, 60 people or 9.4% are between 70 and 79, there are 36 people or 5.6% who are over 80.][01.02.03 Popolazione residente permanente]
accessed 23 November 2010
, there were 209 private households in the municipality, and an average of 2.4 persons per household.[ there were 146 single family homes (or 77.2% of the total) out of a total of 189 inhabited buildings. There were 36 multi-family buildings (19.0%), along with 4 multi-purpose buildings that were mostly used for housing (2.1%) and 3 other use buildings (commercial or industrial) that also had some housing (1.6%). Of the single family homes 6 were built before 1919, while 29 were built between 1990 and 2000. The greatest number of single family homes (33) 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 249 apartments in the municipality. The most common apartment size was 4 rooms of which there were 73. There were 12 single room apartments and 105 apartments with five or more rooms. Of these apartments, a total of 209 apartments (83.9% of the total) were permanently occupied, while 37 apartments (14.9%) were seasonally occupied and 3 apartments (1.2%) were empty.[ The vacancy rate for the municipality, , was 0%.][ , the construction rate of new housing units was 1.6 new units per 1000 residents.][
The historical population is given in the following chart:]
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bar:1643 from:start till:111 text:"111"
bar:1801 from:start till:158 text:"158"
bar:1850 from:start till:259 text:"259"
bar:1860 from:start till:217 text:"217"
bar:1870 from:start till:295 text:"295"
bar:1880 from:start till:277 text:"277"
bar:1888 from:start till:288 text:"288"
bar:1900 from:start till:258 text:"258"
bar:1910 from:start till:288 text:"288"
bar:1920 from:start till:267 text:"267"
bar:1930 from:start till:235 text:"235"
bar:1941 from:start till:246 text:"246"
bar:1950 from:start till:230 text:"230"
bar:1960 from:start till:250 text:"250"
bar:1970 from:start till:325 text:"325"
bar:1980 from:start till:390 text:"390"
bar:1990 from:start till:449 text:"449"
bar:2000 from:start till:501 text:"501"
Politics
In the 2007 federal election the most popular party was the FDP which received 33.54% of the vote. The next three most popular parties were the SP (19.42%), the CVP (17.98%) and the Ticino League
The Ticino League () is a regionalist, national-conservative political party in Switzerland active in the canton of Ticino.
The party was founded in 1991 by entrepreneur Giuliano Bignasca and journalist Flavio Maspoli. After some public camp ...
(13.2%). In the federal election, a total of 277 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 59.7%.
In the '' Gran Consiglio'' election, there were a total of 453 registered voters in Besazio, of which 323 or 71.3% voted. 2 blank ballots and 2 null ballots were cast, leaving 319 valid ballots in the election. The most popular party was the PLRT which received 103 or 32.3% of the vote. The next three most popular parties were; the PS (with 54 or 16.9%), the SSI (with 43 or 13.5%) and the PPD+GenGiova (with 42 or 13.2%).[ Elezioni cantonali: Gran Consiglio, Consiglio di Stato]
accessed 23 November 2010
In the ''Consiglio di Stato'' election, 1 blank ballot and 1 null ballot was cast, leaving 321 valid ballots in the election. The most popular party was the PLRT which received 97 or 30.2% of the vote. The next three most popular parties were; the PS (with 65 or 20.2%), the LEGA (with 59 or 18.4%) and the PPD (with 41 or 12.8%).[
]
Economy
, Besazio had an unemployment rate of 1.37%. , there were 7 people employed in the primary economic sector and about 2 businesses involved in this sector. 101 people were employed in the secondary sector
In macroeconomics, the secondary sector of the economy is an economic sector in the three-sector theory that describes the role of manufacturing. It encompasses industries that produce a finished, usable product or are involved in constructi ...
and there were 5 businesses in this sector. 50 people were employed in the tertiary sector
The tertiary sector of the economy, generally known as the service sector, is the third of the three economic sectors in the three-sector model (also known as the economic cycle). The others are the primary sector (raw materials) and the ...
, with 18 businesses in this sector.[ There were 228 residents of the municipality who were employed in some capacity, of which females made up 40.4% of the workforce.
the total number of full-time equivalent jobs was 89. The number of jobs in the primary sector was 8, all of which were in agriculture. The number of jobs in the secondary sector was 10 of which 4 or (40.0%) were in manufacturing and 6 (60.0%) were in construction. The number of jobs in the tertiary sector was 71. In the tertiary sector; 46 or 64.8% were in wholesale or retail sales or the repair of motor vehicles, 4 or 5.6% were in a hotel or restaurant, 3 or 4.2% were in the information industry, 5 or 7.0% were the insurance or financial industry, 9 or 12.7% were technical professionals or scientists, and 1 or 1.4% were in health care.
, there were 305 workers who commuted into the municipality and 191 workers who commuted away. The municipality is a net importer of workers, with about 1.6 workers entering the municipality for every one leaving. About 46.2% of the workforce coming into Besazio are coming from outside Switzerland.][Swiss Federal Statistical Office - Statweb]
accessed 24 June 2010 Of the working population, 7% used public transportation to get to work, and 71.5% used a private car.[
]
Religion
From the , 413 or 82.4% 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 36 or 7.2% belonged to the Swiss Reformed Church
The Protestant Church in Switzerland (PCS), formerly named Federation of Swiss Protestant Churches until 31 December 2019, is a federation of 25 member churches – 24 cantonal churches and the Evangelical-Methodist Church of Switzerland. The P ...
. There are 41 individuals (or about 8.18% of the population) who belong to another church (not listed on the census), and 11 individuals (or about 2.20% of the population) did not answer the question.[
]
Education
The entire Swiss population is generally well educated. In Besazio about 79.6% of the population (between age 25-64) have completed either non-mandatory upper secondary education
Secondary education is the education level following primary education and preceding tertiary education.
Level 2 or ''lower secondary education'' (less commonly ''junior secondary education'') is considered the second and final phase of basic e ...
or additional higher education (either university or a ''Fachhochschule
A (; plural ), abbreviated FH, is a university of applied sciences (UAS), in other words a Hochschule, German tertiary education institution that provides professional education in many applied sciences and applied arts, such as engineering, te ...
'').[
In Besazio there were a total of 107 students (). The Ticino ]education system
The educational system generally refers to the structure of all institutions and the opportunities for obtaining education within a country. It includes all pre-school institutions, starting from family education, and/or early childhood education ...
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 Besazio there were 17 children in kindergarten. The primary school program lasts for five years. In the municipality, 28 students attended the standard primary schools. 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 31 students in the two-year middle school, while 20 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 8 vocational students who were attending school full-time and 3 who attend part-time. Allievi e studenti, secondo il genere di scuola, anno scolastico 2009/2010
accessed 23 November 2010
, there were 3 students in Besazio who came from another municipality, while 76 residents attended schools outside the municipality.[
]
References
External links
{{Authority control
Former municipalities of Ticino