Ronco Sopra Ascona
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Ronco sopra Ascona 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' ...
near
Locarno Locarno (; ; Ticinese dialect, Ticinese: ; formerly in ) is a southern Switzerland, Swiss List of towns in Switzerland, town and Municipalities of Switzerland, municipality in the district Locarno (district), Locarno (of which it is the capita ...
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 ...
.


History

Ronco sopra Ascona is first mentioned in 1264 as ''Roncha''. In 1498 it was mentioned as ''Ronca de Scona''. Ronco sopra Ascona and
Ascona 300px, Ascona Ascona ( ) 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 yearly Ascona Jazz Festival. ...
a '' Vicinanza'' by 1321. The ''vicinanza'' had its own statutes by 1369, and broke up in 1641. In the
early modern period The early modern period is a Periodization, historical period that is defined either as part of or as immediately preceding the modern period, with divisions based primarily on the history of Europe and the broader concept of modernity. There i ...
it 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. In English, the original French combi ...
of
Locarno Locarno (; ; Ticinese dialect, Ticinese: ; formerly in ) is a southern Switzerland, Swiss List of towns in Switzerland, town and Municipalities of Switzerland, municipality in the district Locarno (district), Locarno (of which it is the capita ...
. The Church of S. Martino is first mentioned in 1498. In 1626 it broke away from the
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 ...
of Ascona to form an independent parish. However, the local priest elected was chosen by the priest in Ascona from 1632 until 1813.
Viticulture Viticulture (, "vine-growing"), viniculture (, "wine-growing"), or winegrowing is the cultivation and harvesting of grapes. It is a branch of the science of horticulture. While the native territory of ''Vitis vinifera'', the common grape vine ...
and animal husbandry were the main sources of income in the village. Many inhabitants emigrated to
Tuscany Tuscany ( ; ) is a Regions of Italy, region in central Italy with an area of about and a population of 3,660,834 inhabitants as of 2025. The capital city is Florence. Tuscany is known for its landscapes, history, artistic legacy, and its in ...
, where they had a monopoly on
customs Customs is an authority or Government agency, agency in a country responsible for collecting tariffs and for controlling International trade, the flow of goods, including animals, transports, personal effects, and hazardous items, into and out ...
duties for goods coming from
Florence Florence ( ; ) is the capital city of the Italy, Italian region of Tuscany. It is also the most populated city in Tuscany, with 362,353 inhabitants, and 989,460 in Metropolitan City of Florence, its metropolitan province as of 2025. Florence ...
and
Livorno Livorno () is a port city on the Ligurian Sea on the western coast of the Tuscany region of Italy. It is the capital of the Province of Livorno, having a population of 152,916 residents as of 2025. It is traditionally known in English as Leghorn ...
. Starting in the 19th century these emigrants also began going overseas. Since the mid-20th century Ronco sopra Ascona is a popular resort, with many vacation homes. In 2000, about three-fifths of the workforce commutes.


Geography

Ronco sopra Ascona has an area, , of . Of this area, or 8.8% is used for agricultural purposes, while or 77.1% is forested. Of the rest of the land, or 12.2% is settled (buildings or roads), or 0.2% is either rivers or lakes and or 7.4% is unproductive land. Of the built up area, housing and buildings made up 8.6% and transportation infrastructure made up 3.4%. Out of the forested land, 72.5% of the total land area is heavily forested and 3.6% is covered with orchards or small clusters of trees. Of the agricultural land, 0.0% is used for growing crops and 8.6% is used for alpine pastures. All the water in the municipality is flowing water. Of the unproductive areas, 7.2% is unproductive vegetation. The municipality is located in the Locarno district. It consists of the village of Ronco sopra Ascona and the
hamlets A hamlet is a human settlement that is smaller than a town or village. This is often simply an informal description of a smaller settlement or possibly a subdivision or satellite entity to a larger settlement. Sometimes a hamlet is defined f ...
Fontana Martina and Porto Ronco.


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 ''Vert St. Marin armoured argent riding a horse sable cutting his cloak gules with a sword of the second giving it to a beggar of the same kneeling in the base.''


Natives/residents

Painter
Antonio Ciseri Antonio Ciseri (25 October 1821 – 8 March 1891) was a Swiss-Italian painter of religious subjects. Ciseri's paintings are Raphaelesque in their compositional outlines and their polished surfaces, but are nearly photographic in effect. Among hi ...
was born there in 1821. German writer
Erich Maria Remarque Erich Maria Remarque (; ; born Erich Paul Remark; 22 June 1898 – 25 September 1970) was a German novelist. His landmark novel '' All Quiet on the Western Front'' (1928), based on his experience in the Imperial German Army during World War ...
lived in Porto Ronco in the
Casa Monte Tabor Casa Monte Tabor is a cultural-historic significant building in Porto Ronco, a district of Ronco sopra Ascona, in the Cantons of Switzerland, Swiss canton of Ticino. In 1931, writer Erich Maria Remarque (1898–1970) bought the villa and lived the ...
together with his wife, American actress
Paulette Goddard Paulette Goddard (born Marion Levy; June 3, 1910 – April 23, 1990) was an American actress and socialite. Her career spanned six decades, from the 1920s to the early 1970s. She was a prominent leading actress during the Golden Age of Hollywood ...
, until he died in 1970. Paulette Goddard died there in 1990. The couple is buried alongside each other in Ronco's cemetery.


Demographics

Ronco sopra Ascona has a population () of . , 24.8% of the population are resident foreign nationals.Swiss Federal Statistical Office - Superweb database - Gemeinde Statistics 1981-2008
accessed 19 June 2010
Over the last 10 years (1997–2007) the population has changed at a rate of -9.8%. 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 ...
(61.5%), 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 (33.7%) and Portuguese being third (1.7%).Swiss Federal Statistical Office
accessed 10-December-2010
Of the Swiss national languages (), 222 speak German, 8 people speak
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), ...
, 405 people speak Italian. The remainder (24 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 50.6% male and 49.4% female. The population was made up of 253 Swiss men (37.4% of the population), and 89 (13.2%) non-Swiss men. There were 256 Swiss women (37.9%), and 78 (11.5%) non-Swiss women. In there were 7 live births to Swiss citizens and were 10 deaths of Swiss citizens. Ignoring immigration and emigration, the population of Swiss citizens decreased by 3 while the foreign population remained the same. There was 1 Swiss man and 2 Swiss women who emigrated from Switzerland. At the same time, there were 11 non-Swiss men and 5 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 10 and the non-Swiss population change was an increase of 8 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 -0.3%. The age distribution, , in Ronco sopra Ascona is; 36 children or 5.3% of the population are between 0 and 9 years old and 43 teenagers or 6.4% are between 10 and 19. Of the adult population, 56 people or 8.3% of the population are between 20 and 29 years old. 53 people or 7.8% are between 30 and 39, 109 people or 16.1% are between 40 and 49, and 119 people or 17.6% are between 50 and 59. The senior population distribution is 119 people or 17.6% of the population are between 60 and 69 years old, 92 people or 13.6% are between 70 and 79, there are 49 people or 7.2% who are over 80.01.02.03 Popolazione residente permanente
accessed 23 November 2010
, there were 343 private households in the municipality, and an average of 1.9 persons per household. there were 482 single family homes (or 72.4% of the total) out of a total of 666 inhabited buildings. There were 104 two family buildings (15.6%) and 58 multi-family buildings (8.7%). There were also 22 buildings in the municipality that were multipurpose buildings (used for both housing and commercial or another purpose). The vacancy rate for the municipality, , was 0%. there were 992 apartments in the municipality. The most common apartment size was the 3 room apartment of which there were 298. There were 105 single room apartments and 154 apartments with five or more rooms. 09.02.02 Abitazioni
accessed 23 November 2010
Of these apartments, a total of 341 apartments (34.4% of the total) were permanently occupied, while 643 apartments (64.8%) were seasonally occupied and 8 apartments (0.8%) were empty. , the construction rate of new housing units was 0 new units per 1000 residents. The historical population is given in the following table:


Politics

In the 2007 federal election the most popular party was the SVP which received 24.48% of the vote. The next three most popular parties were the SP (23.26%), the FDP (22.77%) 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 ...
(11.48%). In the federal election, a total of 212 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 43.5%. In the '' Gran Consiglio'' election, there were a total of 482 registered voters in Ronco sopra Ascona, of which 241 or 50.0% voted. 1 blank ballot and 2 null ballots were cast, leaving 238 valid ballots in the election. The most popular party was the PLRT which received 54 or 22.7% of the vote. The next three most popular parties were; the PS (with 46 or 19.3%), the SSI (with 42 or 17.6%) and the UDC (with 34 or 14.3%). 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 240 valid ballots in the election. The most popular party was the PS which received 55 or 22.9% of the vote. The next three most popular parties were; the PLRT (with 54 or 22.5%), the LEGA (with 53 or 22.1%) and the SSI (with 28 or 11.7%).


Economy

, Ronco sopra Ascona had an unemployment rate of 3.59%. , there were 6 people employed in the primary economic sector and about 5 businesses involved in this sector. 15 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 8 businesses in this sector. 119 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 27 businesses in this sector. There were 285 residents of the municipality who were employed in some capacity, of which females made up 40.0% of the workforce. , there were 87 workers who commuted into the municipality and 178 workers who commuted away. The municipality is a net exporter of workers, with about 2.0 workers leaving the municipality for every one entering. About 25.3% of the workforce coming into Ronco sopra Ascona are coming from outside Switzerland.Swiss Federal Statistical Office - Statweb
accessed 24 June 2010
Of the working population, 6.7% used public transportation to get to work, and 53.7% used a private car. , there were 5 hotels in Ronco sopra Ascona with a total of 69 rooms and 128 beds.


Religion

From the , 407 or 61.8% 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 151 or 22.9% 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 were 76 persons (or about 11.53% of the population) who belong to another church (not listed on the census), and 25 persons (or about 3.79% of the population) did not answer the question.


Education

In Ronco sopra Ascona about 68.9% of the population (between age 25 and 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 Ronco sopra Ascona there were a total of 57 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 Ronco sopra Ascona there were 10 children in kindergarten. The primary school program lasts for five years. In the village, 11 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 13 students in the two-year middle school, while 11 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 2 vocational students who were attending school full-time and 7 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. Allievi e studenti, secondo il genere di scuola, anno scolastico 2009/2010
accessed 23 November 2010
, there were 3 students in Ronco sopra Ascona who came from another municipality, while 66 residents attended schools outside the municipality.


References

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