The Val Bavona is a ten-kilometer-long trough valley in the northwestern part 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 ...

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 ...

, in the Vallemaggia District.

History, economy and culture

First human settlements have appeared about 1000 A.D., with a constant number of people living in Val Bavona until about 1600. Repeated natural disasters caused by

deforestation Deforestation or forest clearance is the removal and destruction of a forest or stand of trees from land that is then converted to non-forest use. Deforestation can involve conversion of forest land to farms, ranches, or urban use. Ab ...

have then forced the population back to the lower villages of

Cavergno Cavergno is a village in the district of Vallemaggia, in the canton of Ticino, Switzerland. On 22 October 2006 Cavergno lost its status as an independent municipality when together with the village of Bignasco it was incorporated into the municipa ...

and

Bignasco Bignasco is a village in the district of Vallemaggia, in the canton of Ticino, Switzerland, consolidated into the adjacent municipality of Cevio. Geography Bignasco is a village situated at the confluence of the river Maggia and the Bavona in t ...

, so that the numerous hamlets of Val Bavona were only used as summer abodes for farmers and livestock keepers. The prevalent economy of this valley was livestock (goats and cattle), as well as rye farming and logging. During the construction of hydro power plants, the valley received its first and only made-up road in 1957. Before that, people had to use the mule tracks between the settlements. In 1983, the valley received federal protection status. The late construction of the road, and the fact that the valley is still not attached to the electricity grid, has preserved the historical look of Val Bavona's settlements. Today, the Val Bavona is mostly known for hiking, a few restaurants, and its holiday apartments that offer a basic comfort.

Settlements in Val Bavona

From Cavergno northwards: * Mondada (565 m) * Fontana (599 m) * Sabbione (646 m) * Ritorto * Foroglio (697 m) * Roseto (756 m) * Fontanelada * Faèd * Sonlerto (807 m) * San Carlo (957 m)

Notable buildings

File:Torba a Sonlerto (Val Bavona).jpg , A ''torba'' (rye granary) in Sonlerto. Though it was constructed in 1591,

dendrochronology Dendrochronology (or tree-ring dating) is the scientific method of chronological dating, dating tree rings (also called growth rings) to the exact year they were formed in a tree. As well as dating them, this can give data for dendroclimatology, ...

showed that some of the wood used in the building is from 1497. File:Chiesa di Ganarint (Val Bavona).jpg , Church of Gannariente, built in 1595. File:ETH-BIB-Val Bavona, Blick nach Nordwest (NW), Basodino-LBS H1-016329-AL.tif , Aerial image of the upper valley, May 1954.

Sources

{{coord, 46, 22, 26, N, 8, 32, 53, E, type:landmark_region:CH_dim:10000, display=title Valleys of Ticino Valleys of Switzerland