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The municipality of Gambarogno am Locarnese wants to use the high demand to revive a remote hamlet.
As a tourist region, Ticino is the winner of the Corona crisis. The rustici, the stables converted into small holiday homes, are particularly popular. That is why the municipality of Gambarogno has started a special campaign entitled “Buy a derelict rustico for a symbolic franc”. That made waves.
Hundreds of prospects
High up on the mountain and many steep curves away from the lake are the dilapidated stone houses that can be bought for one franc, provided that they are rebuilt in proper style. Hundreds of interested parties have already contacted the community. “We did not expect so much interest,” says the astonished mayor Gianluigi Della Santa. “Perhaps it was not clear to many of what it would mean for them if they were to buy a one-franc Rustico.”
Because the stylish renovation of the often rather crumbling walls costs tens of thousands of francs. And it is tedious because all the requirements of the authorities have to be complied with. How many Rustici can be bought for this symbolic franc will be decided by the Ticino cantonal authorities this year.
Integration desired
The Gambarogno municipal parliament then decides how exactly the Rustici can be converted. It is also conceivable that not individual people, but a foundation will finance the reconstruction of the hamlet, says mayor Della Santa. Ultimately, the aim of this action is that the remote piece of earth is revived.
Legend:
Crumbled stone houses are to be rebuilt according to the instructions of the authorities.
Keystone
It shouldn’t just be a vacation spot for people who don’t want to integrate. «I have nothing against German-speaking Swiss tourists who buy a rustico. But I don’t like to see people coming who have absolutely no desire to integrate, who don’t speak a single word of Italian, ”Della Santa explains. “Anyone who buys a one-franc rustico must be interested in the history of the place. This is not for people who just want a holiday home in the sun. “
Hunger for the stone houses
Against this background, the run on the Rustici from Gambarogno is likely to be a little smaller. But the general German-Swiss hunger for the little houses continues and has become even greater in the Corona crisis.
That is why the tourism organization of Bellinzona and its valleys even encouraged local rustico owners to rent out their stone houses. And the first to do that should get a proud chunk for it.