DON’T MISS
IamExpat Job BoardIamExpat HousingIamExpat Webinars
Newsletters
EXPAT INFO
CAREER
HOUSING
EDUCATION
LIFESTYLE
EXPAT SERVICES
NEWS & ARTICLES
Home
Expat Info
Swiss news & articles
Village in Italy sends letter asking to join Switzerland
Never miss a thing!Sign up for our weekly newsletters with important news stories, expat events and special offers.
Keep me updated with exclusive offers from partner companies
By signing up, you agree that we may process your information in accordance with our privacy policy

Village in Italy sends letter asking to join Switzerland

Never miss a thing!Sign up for our weekly newsletters with important news stories, expat events and special offers.
Keep me updated with exclusive offers from partner companies
By signing up, you agree that we may process your information in accordance with our privacy policy
or
follow us for regular updates:



Related Stories

Fürstenau and Werdenberg lock heads over which is the world's smallest cityFürstenau and Werdenberg lock heads over which is the world's smallest city
Why is Liechtenstein not part of Switzerland?Why is Liechtenstein not part of Switzerland?
10 signs you've been living in Switzerland for too long10 signs you've been living in Switzerland for too long
The history between the US and SwitzerlandThe history between the US and Switzerland
11 funny place names in Switzerland11 funny place names in Switzerland
[Video] Why does the Swiss-Italian border move so much?[Video] Why does the Swiss-Italian border move so much?
Which nationalities moved to Switzerland most in 2023?Which nationalities moved to Switzerland most in 2023?
Vast majority of expats want to stay in Switzerland forever, poll findsVast majority of expats want to stay in Switzerland forever, poll finds
For expats of all colours, shapes and sizes

Explore
Expat infoCareerHousingEducationLifestyleExpat servicesNews & articles
About us
IamExpat MediaAdvertisePost a jobContact usSitemap
More IamExpat
IamExpat Job BoardIamExpat HousingWebinarsNewsletters
Privacy
Terms of usePrivacy policyCookiesAvoiding scams

Never miss a thing!Sign up for expat events, news & offers, delivered once a week.
Keep me updated with exclusive offers from partner companies
By signing up, you agree that we may process your information in accordance with our privacy policy


© 2025 IamExpat Media B.V.
© 2025 IamExpat Media B.V.
Nov 3, 2022
Jan de Boer

Editor at IamExpat Media

Jan studied History at the University of York and Broadcast Journalism at the University of Sheffield. Though born in York, Jan has lived most of his life in Zurich and has worked as a journalist, writer and editor since 2016. While he has plunged head-first back into life in Switzerland since returning to the country in 2020, he still enjoys a taste of home at pub quizzes and karaoke nights.Read more

It is quite rare in history for a region to demand it be annexed by a neighbouring country. However, that is exactly what an Italian community in the mountains has asked for, after it called on the government to make their village part of Switzerland.

Monteviasco wants to join Canton Ticino in Switzerland

Two kilometres from the Italian border with Canton Ticino sits the village of Monteviasco. Situated 1.650 metres above sea level near the banks of Lake Maggiore, the small village is heavily isolated as it has no roads connecting it with the outside world.

According to 20 minuten, the residents of this small Italian community have sent a letter demanding that the town be taken over by Switzerland. According to RSI, the letter has re-sparked the debate over whether the valleys on the eastern side of Lake Maggiore should actually be controlled by Switzerland.

Locals accuse Italian officials of delay and inefficiency over cable car

In the letter, the locals said they were angry over the lack of progress made by Italian officials in restoring their local cable car. A cable car had been running between the town and valley floor until 2018 when a fatal accident forced its closure. Today, Monteviasco is only accessible by foot or by mule.

Despite promises to reopen the cable car, locals have accused the Italian authorities of delay and inefficiency, claiming that most officials are still arguing about how much the repairs will cost and when the cable car should be restarted. 

The letter said that instead of arguing about costs, authorities should be "putting a means of transport back into operation on which our lives depend." Therefore, "If pulling the border line further down would serve to avoid having to bear Italian bureaucratic shackles, then Switzerland is welcome," the statement concluded. 

Requests to join Switzerland are not new

The idea of border communities "switching sides" and joining Switzerland is not new. In a referendum in 1918, 96 percent of residents in the town Büsingen am Hochrhein, Baden-Württemberg voted to join Switzerland, and 81 percent of residents in Voralberg in Austria voted to join in 1919, although neither ended up happening. The last time Switzerland successfully expanded its borders was when the border with France was redrawn slightly in 2002.

More recently, a survey held in 2010 found that 74 percent of the residents of Como wanted the town to join Switzerland, and an online poll held in the same year by German newspaper Südkurier found that 70 percent of residents in Baden-Württemberg wanted to leave Germany and join Switzerland, noting "yes, the Swiss are closer to us in outlook [than other German federal states]." 

By Jan de Boer