Ticino, Switzerland

Due to a large italian community being located in Ticino, Switzerland and several

of our members researching this area, a database just for Ticino has been created and can be accessed in this section.

History of Ticino, Switzerland

by Ron Guidici

The first signs of human life in Ticino date from the Stone Age. Although few traces of the Paleolithic Era remain, many of the Neolithic have been discovered. The tombs, stones, fiulae and coins unearthed can be viewed in various museums.

Long afterwards, the Romans left their mark on Ticino; some of their structures can still be seen. Up until the fourteenth century, the history of Ticino and it's people was interwoven with that of Lombardy and Piedmont (Italy) of which it was a part.

For many years Ticino was the object of dispute between Como and Milan due to its commercial and strategic importance and was tossed back and forth by the militant diocese of Milan and Como, by the Guelfs and Ghibellines, the Viscontis and the Sforzas, just to name a few.

But as the first Swiss cantons began to form and consolidate (mid 1200), possession of the St. Gotthard road for the Swiss became a necessity. Considerable sacrifice and bloodshed as well as extraordinary tenacity (on the part of Swiss) resulted in Ticino coming under the control of the Swiss cantons north of the Alps shortly after 1500. Ticino remained under the domination of the sovereign cantons as a bailiwick until the end of the 18th century when it emerged from the revolutionary Napoleonic period as an independent and free Swiss canton (1803).

Isolation was a real danger for Ticino since it lies entirely south of the Alps and was dependent upon travel through the St. Bernardino or St. Gothard passes. These passes were difficult to keep open during the winter months. Finally in 1882, the St. Gothard railway tunnel made it possible to maintain contact with the rest of Switzerland all year around. Economically speaking, Ticino came to life with the railway.

The Ticino is, first and foremost, a mountainous canton. It is fortunate to have been blessed with a number of attractive features as far as its geology and natural history are concerned. Among these are the two lakes at the foot of the Alps where the Ticino borders on Italy: Lake Maggiore, broad and majestic, nestling among the last of the Alpine foothills, and the contorted and somewhat confusing Lake Lugano, which lies between the majestic peaks of Monte Bra, San Salvatore, San Giorgio and Monte Generoso. Incidentally, in the Ticino it is still possible to find seemingly endless and wonderfully quiet valleys filled with sunshine and sub-Alpine vegetation, crossed by extensive, if semi-overgrown, footpaths, and these can be just a few kilometers from noisy motorways, railways and all the other intrusive accoutrements of Western civilization. Here, the gentle hills of the Mendrisiotto already mark the transition to the fertile plain of the Po, as you cross into northern Italy. Then, of course, there' s the local climate, too: the annual average temperature here is some 3°C higher than in the north of the country, and spring often begins as early as March; the autumn lasts longer, too, with the warm days often extending into November - all of which is very good for Merlot, the most commonly found wine in the Ticino.

 
SURNAME 
TOWN 
SUBMITTER 
CIOSSI 
Chiggiogna 
Suker, Jacqui 
DOBAS 
Chiggiogna 
Suker, Jacqui 
PAULIS 
Chiggiogna 
Suker, Jacqui 
TOGNI 
Chiggiogna 
Suker, Jacqui 
DAZZONE 
Chironico 
Suker, Jacqui 
GALEPPI 
Dalpe 
Suker, Jacqui 
CIOCCARI 
Faido 
Suker, Jacqui 
BALZARINI 
Giornico 
Guidici, Ron 
DRESSI 
Giornico 
Suker, Jacqui 
EINI GIUDICI 
Giornico 
Suker, Jacqui 
GIUDICI 
Giornico 
Guidici, Ron 
GIUDICI 
Giornico 
Suker, Jacqui 
GIUDICI GRILLO 
Giornico 
Suker, Jacqui 
PATTALOCHI 
Giornico 
Suker, Jacqui 
PATTINI 
Giornico 
Guidici, Ron 
ROBERTI 
Giornico 
Suker, Jacqui 
ROBERTINI 
Giornico 
Guidici, Ron 
SOLARI 
Giornico 
Suker, Jacqui 
BIAGGINI 
Giubiasco 
Campodonico, Carol 
DUCHINI 
Giubiasco 
Campodonico, Carol 
FERRARI-VISCA 
Giubiasco 
Campodonico, Carol 
PANCALDI 
Giubiasco 
Campodonico, Carol 
TADE 
Giubiasco 
Campodonico, Carol 
ZANETTI 
Giubiasco 
Campodonico, Carol 
BONTA 
Personico 
Suker, Jacqui 
CISLINI 
Personico 
Suker, Jacqui 
CREM 
Personico 
Suker, Jacqui 
CREMETTI 
Personico 
Suker, Jacqui 
GIUDICE 
Vicario 
Suker, Jacqui