Centovalli (literally: hundred valleys) is a valley and 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

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 Re ...

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 . ...

in Switzerland. It is composed of 19 villages or hamlets "

frazioni A ''frazione'' (plural: ) is a type of subdivision of a ''comune'' (municipality) in Italy, often a small village or hamlet outside the main town. Most ''frazioni'' were created during the Fascist era (1922–1943) as a way to consolidate territ ...

". The municipality was formed on 25 October 2009 through the merger of the municipalities of

Borgnone Borgnone is a hamlet part of the municipality of Centovalli in the district of Locarno in the canton of Ticino in Switzerland. Not to be confused with much bigger Camedo or with Lionza or Costa. It is serviced by the train station of Cadanza- ...

, Intragna and

Palagnedra Palagnedra is a village and a locality part of the municipality of Centovalli in the district of Locarno in the canton of Ticino in Switzerland. Lago di Palagnedra is located below the village, on the Melezza river. History Palagnedra is fi ...

History

Intragna is first mentioned in 1272 as ''Intranea''. Camedo is first mentioned in 1294 as ''Camedum''.

is first mentioned in 1364 as ''Brugnono''.

is first mentioned in 1379 as ''Pallagnidrio''.

Borgnone

In 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 ...

it was part of the

region. In the 15th Century, it became a '' Degagna'', which was part of the

bailiwick A bailiwick () is usually the area of jurisdiction of a bailiff, and once also applied to territories in which a privately appointed bailiff exercised the sheriff's functions under a royal or imperial writ. The bailiwick is probably modelled on t ...

of Locarno between the 16th Century and 1798. It then became an independent political municipality when the municipality of Centovalli was split in 1838. It belonged to 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 ...

of Palagnedra and in 1630 became a vice-parish. The Church of Beata Vergine dell'Assunta (built 1364–65) underwent several transformations. A strong seasonal emigration supplemented the income from agriculture and animal husbandry of the residents. The majority of the population (1990: 70%) is in the services sector, and half of all residences are second or vacation homes. In 1923 the Locarno-Domodossola rail line was completed.

Intragna

In 1897, several pre-

Roman Roman or Romans most often refers to: *Rome, the capital city of Italy *Ancient Rome, Roman civilization from 8th century BC to 5th century AD * Roman people, the people of ancient Rome *'' Epistle to the Romans'', shortened to ''Romans'', a lett ...

graves were discovered, which show the colonization of the area before the 1st Millennium BC. During the Middle Ages the landlords over the village included both the

Bishop of Como The Diocese of Como ( la, Dioecesis Comensis) is a Latin Church ecclesiastical jurisdiction or diocese of the Catholic Church in northern Italy. It was established in the Fourth Century. It is a suffragan diocese in the ecclesiastical province of ...

and the Capitanei of Locarno. Together with Golino and Verdasio, Intragna was part of a '' Vicinanza''. The first statutes of the ''Vicinanza'' were written in 1365 and were revised in 1469. They possessed the right to appoint one representative to the Council of the

of Locarno. The mayor (or console) was alternately appointed during five years by Intragna, then by one provided by Golini and Verdasio. During the 16th to 18th Centuries it was part of the bailiwick of Locarno. In 1531, the

Swiss Confederation ; rm, citad federala, links=no). 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 (Bellinzon ...

rejected an application from Intragna,

Ascona 300px, Ascona Ascona ( lmo, label= Ticinese, Scona ) is a municipality in the district of Locarno in the canton of Ticino in Switzerland. It is located on the shore of Lake Maggiore. The town is a popular tourist destination and holds the yea ...

Onsernone Onsernone is a municipality in the Swiss canton of Ticino, near the city of Locarno. The river Isorno runs through this valley. The municipality was created in 1995 by a merger of Comologno, Crana and Russo.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 ...

of Golino (which had been created in the 16th Century). The parish of Intragna was elevated to have a provost in 1747. The present church of S. Nome di Maria was built in 1722–38. In 1765-75 the bell tower was added, and with a height of it is the highest in the canton of Ticino. The parish of Palagnedra was established in the 12th Century, and in 1622 Verdasio split from it, followed in 1644 by Rasa. The latter has had a

rector Rector (Latin for the member of a vessel's crew who steers) may refer to: Style or title *Rector (ecclesiastical), a cleric who functions as an administrative leader in some Christian denominations *Rector (academia), a senior official in an edu ...

since 2000. The church of S. Anna in Rasa was completed in 1753, while the church in Verdasio (SS Giacomo e Cristoforo), was built around 1800. Centovalli Railway

Traditionally, the major sources of income have always been farming and animal husbandry. But in the 1950s, these lost importance. Starting in the 16th Century, the income from seasonal migration (especially

chimney sweep A chimney sweep is a person who clears soot and creosote from chimneys. The chimney uses the pressure difference caused by a hot column of gas to create a draught and draw air over the hot coals or wood enabling continued combustion. Chimneys ...

in Lombardy and

Piedmont it, Piemontese , population_note = , population_blank1_title = , population_blank1 = , demographics_type1 = , demographics1_footnotes = , demographics1_title1 = , demographics1_info1 = , demographics1_title2 ...

) were added to the local economy. Between 1631 and 1847 the people of Rasa (along with Ronco, Losone and Terre di Pedemonte) possessed the monopoly for loading operations at the

Custom House A custom house or customs house was traditionally a building housing the offices for a jurisdictional government whose officials oversaw the functions associated with importing and exporting goods into and out of a country, such as collecting ...

of Livorno. In the second half of the 19th Century there was a strong emigration overseas (America, Australia). The local industrial production; watch factory, the quarry, the carpentry factory and the Peduli factory (cloth shoes with hemp soles from the early 20th century to 1962) came to a halt in the 1960s. Between 1889 and 1893, the main road was built, followed in 1923 by a station on the Locarno-

Domodossola Domodossola (; Lombard: Dòm) is a city and ''comune'' in the Province of Verbano-Cusio-Ossola, in the region of Piedmont, northern Italy. It was also known as Oscela, Oscella, Oscella dei Leponzi, Ossolo, Ossola Lepontiorum, and Domo d'Ossol ...

railway line. Pila and Costa (1953) and Rasa (since 1958) are accessible only by

cable car Cable car most commonly refers to the following cable transportation systems: * Aerial lift, such as aerial tramways and gondola lifts, in which the vehicle is suspended in the air from a cable ** Aerial tramway ** Chairlift ** Gondola lift ** ...

. In 1929, an old-age and nursing home opened in San Donato. Intragna is the seat of the Regional Museum for the Centovalli and Terre di Pedemonte, which opened in 1989. While the population in the higher settlements has declined sharply (Rasa: 200 inhabitants at the beginning of the 16th century, while only 11 in 1970), Intragna and Golino, due to their proximity to Locarno, have grown since 1970. In 2000, two-thirds of the employed worked in the services sector, and about the same numbers commuted out of the municipality for work.

Palagnedra

During the

, Palagnedra was the administrative and religious center in the 13th Century Centovalli valley community. In the 16th Century it became part of the

and

region, followed by the

of Locarno. In 1864 the village became independent. The church of San Michele was built between 1640–1732 and renovated in 1964-66 and again between 1999 and 2001. It was the

mother church Mother church or matrice is a term depicting the Christian Church as a mother in her functions of nourishing and protecting the believer. It may also refer to the primary church of a Christian denomination or diocese, i.e. a cathedral or a metr ...

of the Centovalli valley and contains the best preserved late

gothic Gothic or Gothics may refer to: People and languages *Goths or Gothic people, the ethnonym of a group of East Germanic tribes **Gothic language, an extinct East Germanic language spoken by the Goths **Crimean Gothic, the Gothic language spoken b ...

cycle of frescoes by Antonio da Tradate. Traditionally the local economy was based around agriculture and grazing. Starting in the 16th Century some of the income came from the seasonal migration to Italy. Initially, most of the seasonal workers were laborers. This changed in the 19th Century to cooks going to

Tuscany it, Toscano (man) it, Toscana (woman) , population_note = , population_blank1_title = , population_blank1 = , demographics_type1 = Citizenship , demographics1_footnotes = , demographics1_title1 = Italian , demogra ...

. Until the 1950s, the vicinity of the Italian Swiss border encouraged smuggling. In 1950-52 a hydroelectric dam was built. In 2005 about a third of the jobs in Palagnedra related to the agricultural sector. On 25 October 2009 the municipalities of

, Intragna and

merged into the municipality of Centovalli.

Coat of arms

The present

coat of arms A coat of arms is a heraldic visual design on an escutcheon (i.e., shield), surcoat, or tabard (the latter two being outer garments). The coat of arms on an escutcheon forms the central element of the full heraldic achievement, which in it ...

was adopted in 2009. Designed by a graphic artist rather than a herald, it is a decorative treatment of the letters C and V, but cannot be

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 the appropriate image. The verb ''to blazon'' means to create such a description. The visua ...

ed. The municipal website describes it as being of green and gold, with a capital C dominating the blue of the valley and water, bordered with white.

Geography

Centovalli has an area, , of . Of this area, or 4.1% is used for agricultural purposes, while or 76.8% is forested. Of the rest of the land, or 2.0% is settled (buildings or roads), or 2.3% is either rivers or lakes and or 13.8% is unproductive land. Of the built up area, housing and buildings made up 1.2% and transportation infrastructure made up 0.6%. Out of the forested land, 70.5% of the total land area is heavily forested and 4.3% is covered with orchards or small clusters of trees. Of the agricultural land, 2.6% is used for growing crops and 1.2% is used for alpine pastures. Of the water in the municipality, 0.6% is in lakes and 1.7% is in rivers and streams. Of the unproductive areas, 7.0% is unproductive vegetation and 6.8% is too rocky for vegetation. It consists of the villages or frazioni of Bordei,

, Calezzo, Camedo, Corcapolo con Salmina, Costa sopra Borgnone, Costa sopra Intragna, Cremaso, Cresto, Golino, Intragna, Lionza, Monadello, Moneto,

, Pila, Rasa, Verdasio con Bolle e Sassalto and Vosa.

Location

The municipality is located in the Centovalli, a valley which was carved by the Melezza river and which has allegedly 100 adjoining valleys (cento valli). The municipality's western border is the Swiss-

Italy Italy ( it, Italia ), officially the Italian Republic, ) or the Republic of Italy, is a country in Southern Europe. It is located in the middle of the Mediterranean Sea, and its territory largely coincides with the homonymous geographical ...

border. In addition to Borgnone, Intragna and Palagnedra, it includes the settlements of Costa, Lionza, Golino, Verdasio, Pila, Vosa, Cremaso, Calezzo, Costa, Corcapolo, Rasa, Bordei, and Camedo (on the valley floor with a customs station and train station).

Demographics

Centovalli has a population () of . , the gender distribution of the population was 45.4% male and 54.6% female. The population was made up of 453 Swiss men (39.7% of the population), and 65 (5.7%) non-Swiss men. There were 570 Swiss women (49.9%), and 54 (4.7%) non-Swiss women. The age distribution, , in Centovalli is; 58 children or 5.1% of the population are between 0 and 9 years old and 88 teenagers or 7.7% are between 10 and 19. Of the adult population, 152 people or 13.3% of the population are between 20 and 29 years old. 121 people or 10.6% are between 30 and 39, 166 people or 14.5% are between 40 and 49, and 181 people or 15.8% are between 50 and 59. The senior population distribution is 196 people or 17.2% of the population are between 60 and 69 years old, 95 people or 8.3% are between 70 and 79, there are 85 people or 7.4% who are over 80.01.02.03 Popolazione residente permanente
accessed 23 November 2010 In Borgnone, (), 27 speak

German German(s) may refer to: * Germany (of or related to) **Germania (historical use) * Germans, citizens of Germany, people of German ancestry, or native speakers of the German language ** For citizens of Germany, see also German nationality law **Ger ...

, 116 people speak

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 ...

.Popolazione residente, secondo la lingua principale e la religione, nel 2000
accessed 23 November 2010 In Intragna, (), 162 speak

, 18 people speak French, 716 people speak

, and 2 people speak Romansh. The remainder (17 people) speak another language. In Palagnedra (), 17 speak

, 1 person speaks French, 73 people speak

. The remainder (1 person) speak another language.

Religion

Borgnone

From the , 96 or 67.1% were

Roman Catholic Roman or Romans most often refers to: *Rome, the capital city of Italy *Ancient Rome, Roman civilization from 8th century BC to 5th century AD *Roman people, the people of ancient Rome *''Epistle to the Romans'', shortened to ''Romans'', a letter ...

, while 14 or 9.8% belonged to the

Swiss Reformed Church The Protestant Church in Switzerland (PCS), (EKS); french: Église évangélique réformée de Suisse (EERS); it, Chiesa evangelica riformata in Svizzera (CERiS); rm, Baselgia evangelica refurmada da la Svizra (BRRS) formerly named Federation o ...

. There are 23 individuals (or about 16.08% of the population) who belong to different church (not listed on the census), and 10 individuals (or about 6.99% of the population) did not answer the question.

Intragna

From the , 674 or 73.7% were

, while 106 or 11.6% belonged to the

. There are 104 individuals (or about 11.37% of the population) who belong to another church (not listed on the census), and 31 individuals (or about 3.39% of the population) did not answer the question.

Palagnedra

From the , 70 or 76.1% were

, while 7 or 7.6% belonged to the

. There are 12 individuals (or about 13.04% of the population) who belong to another church (not listed on the census), and 3 individuals (or about 3.26% of the population) did not answer the question.

Housing

Borgnone

there were 149 single family homes (or 87.6% of the total) out of a total of 170 inhabited buildings. There were 10 two family buildings (5.9%) and 4 multi-family buildings (2.4%). There were also 7 buildings in the municipality that were multipurpose buildings (used for both housing and commercial or another purpose). 09.02.01 Edifici
accessed 23 November 2010 Of these apartments, a total of 62 apartments (32.6% of the total) were permanently occupied, while 126 apartments (66.3%) were seasonally occupied and 2 apartments (1.1%) were empty. 09.02.02 Abitazioni
accessed 23 November 2010 there were 190 apartments in the municipality. The most common apartment size was the 3 room apartment of which there were 57. There were 8 single room apartments and 53 apartments with five or more rooms.

Intragna

there were 612 single family homes (or 83.2% of the total) out of a total of 736 inhabited buildings. There were 84 two family buildings (11.4%) and 20 multi-family buildings (2.7%). There were also 20 buildings in the municipality that were multipurpose buildings (used for both housing and commercial or another purpose). Of these apartments, a total of 392 apartments (44.6% of the total) were permanently occupied, while 480 apartments (54.6%) were seasonally occupied and 7 apartments (0.8%) were empty. there were 879 apartments in the municipality. The most common apartment size was the 3 room apartment of which there were 221. There were 82 single room apartments and 209 apartments with five or more rooms.

Palagnedra

there were 141 single family homes (or 94.0% of the total) out of a total of 150 inhabited buildings. There were 6 two family buildings (4.0%) and 2 multi-family buildings (1.3%). There were also 1 buildings in the municipality that was a multipurpose buildings (used for both housing and commercial or another purpose). Of these apartments, a total of 54 apartments (33.1% of the total) were permanently occupied, while 109 apartments (66.9%) were seasonally occupied. there were 163 apartments in the village. The most common apartment size was the 4 room apartment of which there were 52. There were 8 single room apartments and 40 apartments with five or more rooms.

Historic population

The historical population is given in the following table:

Education

In Centovalli there were a total of 126 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 cent ...

and in Centovalli there were 17 children in kindergarten. The primary school program lasts for five years and includes both a standard school and a special school. In the municipality, 35 students attended the standard primary schools and 1 student 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 41 students in the two-year middle school, while 9 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 5 vocational students who were attending school full-time and 15 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 3 students in the professional program.

Heritage sites of national significance

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 activitie ...

of S. Michele and its Piazza are listed as Swiss heritage site of national significance. The villages of Borgnone, Costa, Golino, Intragna, Lionza, Palagnedra, Rasa, Verdasio and Bordei are all listed as part of the Inventory of Swiss Heritage Sites.

Crime

In 2014 the crime rate, of the over 200 crimes listed in the

Swiss Criminal Code The Swiss Criminal Code (SR/RS 311, german: Strafgesetzbuch (StGB), french: Code pénal suisse (CP), it, Codice penale svizzero (CP), rm, Cudesch penal svizzer) is a portion of the third part (SR/RS 3) of the internal Swiss law ("Private law - ...

(running from murder, robbery and assault to accepting bribes and election fraud), in Centovalli was 32.3 per thousand residents. This rate is lower than average, at only 60.0% of the rate in the district, 58.9% of the cantonal rate and 50.0% of the average rate in the entire country. During the same period, the rate of drug crimes was 7.6 per thousand residents. This rate is lower than average, at only 66.7% of the rate in the district. The rate of violations of immigration, visa and work permit laws was 2.5 per thousand residents. This rate is lower than average, only 69.4% of the rate in the canton and only 51.0% of the rate for the entire country.

Economy

, there were 7 hotels in Centovalli with a total of 64 rooms and 133 beds. Settori alberghiero e paralberghiero
accessed 23 November 2010

References

External links

Centovalli Ticino
''(in German)'' *https://www.myswitzerland.com/en-ch/centovalli.html * {{Authority control Cultural property of national significance in Ticino Municipalities of Ticino