Farmers’ Housing in Corripo

True architecture is sometimes thought to need the assistance of an architect or master builder. It is thus much more remarkable to discover a whole community, if not an entire valley, of exceptional architectural merit. Corripo, a little village placed sharply against a lonely slope, has an urban feel in consistency, but it also has a diversity that even the most prestigious modern architects appear to lack. The materials used, the proportions (limited by local natural stone and wood), and the placing of these various early nineteenth-century structures appear to respect the harshness of their setting. Every home supplies only the essential necessities to ensure the survival of its agricultural residents in the alpine climate.

Each "Rustico", as the buildings are known, is created from basic piled granite blocks in a centuries-old construction process; even the roof tiles are taken from the same natural stone slabs. All wooden components, from the framework to the joinery, were "farmed" with local chestnut trees. Corippo was not connected to the Swiss road network until 1838. Fortunately, Corippo was never fully abandoned, and after being rediscovered in the 1980s as a possible weekend hideaway by Swiss urbanites, a thorough and substantial restoration project ensued, allowing this small but dynamic hamlet to maintain a lifeline long into the twenty-first century.

Location: Corripo