Swiss Review 1/2020

Swiss Review / January 2020 / No.1 12 Report pose. The goal is to retain the “magical atmosphere” of the place but also to breathe new life into the hamlet at the same time. Giacomazzi has already shown numerous peo- ple around the village and abandoned buildings, in which time seems to have stood still. Sometimes there are even old shoes on the wooden floors or odds and ends in the cor- ner. Cobwebs adorn the windows. However, a holiday apartment has already been set up in one of the founda- tion’s houses, and the mill has also been refurbished. The renovation of the other houses will finally start in early 2020. The mood in the village is somewhat sceptical. “They’ve been making promises for years,” says one of the locals. Giacomazzi can understand their scepticism, but points out that the conversion work can only go ahead when all the money has been collected. The total budget is 3.6 mil- lion Swiss francs. “And at present, we still need just short of 600,000 Swiss francs,” says the architect. He seems con- fident that they will soon get the money together, ideally through private donations. Claire Amstutz supports the project. She is the publican at theOsteria inCorippo. However, she rarely comes inwin- ter. We run into her rather coincidentally while she is pre- paring a Sundaymeal for her regulars: a Bernese plate –with driedbeans, boiledpotatoes, sauerkraut, bacon and sausage. Amstutz, who originally hails from the German-speaking part of Switzerland, is still unsure what the future holds; she is waiting for the new contract for the 2020 season. It is interesting to note that there is already a certificate hanging in the Osteria bearing the words “Hotel Innova- tion Award”, whichwas conferred by the Swiss Society Ho- tel Credit and Gastrosuisse for the “Albergo diffuso” pro- ject in 2017. This prize has also brought many calls from people wanting to book a room. “Only it hasn’t been possi- ble to date,” laughs Amstutz. Thomas Egger describes the Corippo project as “exem- plary”. The Valais CVP national councillor is president of the SwissWorking Group for the Alpine Areas (SAB). “A de- centralised hotel is a wonderful starting point to improve the use of the existing structures,” he adds. And he refers to analogous initiatives in Grengiols (VS) under the name “Poort a Poort”, as well as in Albinen (VS) under the name “Albijou”. Egger is strongly opposed to abandoning municipali- ties or parts of the Alpine area. And he also has the Fed- eral Council on his side. The Swiss government approved a report inmid-November detailing how the existence of the Alpine areas is to be safeguarded and migration curbed. Expansion of digital infrastructure, i.e. with broadband and high broadband, is deemed essential. GERHARD LOB IS A JOURNALIST IN LOCARNO (TI) Fabio Giacomazzi wants to retain Corippo’s “magical atmosphere” – so he has bought up houses. Photo: LOB Publican Claire Amstutz is delighted that the village is to become a “scat- tered hotel”. Photo: LOB The migration has left its mark. Abandoned items everywhere are gathering dust. Photo: LOB