09 Oct 2018
Why one Swiss village could become the country’s first community-wide resort
BY Andrew Manns
Corippo, a 200-hundred-year-old village located in the Verzasca valley, is undergoing a transformation which could see it become the first albergo diffuso (“scattered hotel”) in Switzerland.
Scattered hotels are effectively regenerated municipalities, endangered districts which get a new lease on life by becoming interactive, multi-venue destinations for travellers interested in full-scale immersion tourism.
The plan to save the highland hamlet, the population of which has been diminishing exponentially for half a century, was dreamed up by The Corippo Foundation – a company established by local residents.
Founded in 1975, the group aims to renew and preserve Corippo’s heritage by courting both national and international investors.
Part of the foundation’s revitalisation strategy will involve turning the Swiss village’s public or abandoned buildings, such as its church, main square restaurant, and surrounding stone cottages, into for-rent, open-air social spaces, dining rooms, and private suites.
Casa Arcotti, Corippo’s first rentable cottage, is currently open for bookings.
As of yet, no date has been provided for the completion of the full-scale Corippo project.
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