Mountain And Men
Valle Onsernone, Valle Maggia, Valle Bavona / October 2017 and 2018
The southern Alpine valleys of Switzerland are impressive witnesses of the past struggle of the people to survive in an inhospitable region.
Small villages surrounded by deciduous forest on steep slopes.
Countless chapels and wayside shrines accompany the lonely paths between the villages.
Everywhere in the woods one comes across old stone houses (rustico), which were traditionally used for agricultural purposes. Characteristic is the use of granite stones as building material for walls and roofs.
Granite stones were also used to build bridges and paths in the steepest terrain.
Valle Bavona
The Valle Bavona was abandoned after 1500 because of the harder climate. The inhabitants settled in the main valley Valle Maggia and moved in spring with their animals back into the valley to the different altitudes (transhumance), where they owned dwellings and stables.
In order to manage the scarce meadows - seventy percent of the area is unproductive - steep stairways were built into higher zones. An adventurous path (in earlier times probably without railing) leads to a side valley above this waterfall.
The side valley opens in its rear part to a basin with some flat meadows.
The large rocks dwarf the stone house next to them.
The existing stone houses in this valley are of recent date. Stables, cellars and simple shelters (splüi) were originally built under big rocks.
