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59-555: The Maggia valley has a spatial extension of 569.64 km (219.94 sq mi), equal to one-fifth of the canton of Ticino. It is the largest valley of the canton and one of the widest within the Alps' south side. The valley is formed by the river Maggia , whose source is the Cristallina peak in Val Sambuco (Lavizzara) . The river runs through the valley down to Ascona, where it pours into

118-615: A French army under Napoleon Bonaparte conquered it, and it ceased to exist a year later as a result of the Treaty of Campo Formio , when Austria ceded it to the new Cisalpine Republic . After the defeat of Napoleon, the Congress of Vienna of 1815 restored many other states which he had destroyed, but not the Duchy of Milan. Instead, its former territory became part of the Kingdom of Lombardy–Venetia , with

177-650: A few other lands. Defeated and taken prisoner in Novara in 1500, he was deported to France , to the Castle of Loches , where he died on 27 May 1508. Louis XII remained Duke of Milan until 1512, when the Swiss army expelled the French from Lombardy and placed Maximilian Sforza , son of Ludovico il Moro, on the Milanese throne. Between 1512 and 1515 the Swiss cantons de facto controlled

236-523: A much smaller extension than present-day Lombardy. The government of the Habsburgs of Austria was characterized by significant administrative reforms, which the sovereigns of the Austrian house - inspired by the principles of the so-called enlightened absolutism - also introduced in their Lombard territories: for example, the rearrangement of the land register , the suppression of ecclesiastical censorship and

295-445: A new question for the succession to the throne. In this period, to be precise in 1532, Francesco II Sforza requested and obtained from Pope Clement VII the elevation of Vigevano , a city to which his family had always been deeply linked, to the capital of Vigevanasco , after it had obtained in 1530 the title of city and bishopric according to the same methods. The King Francis I of France and Charles V, Holy Roman Emperor claimed

354-692: A niece of the King of Naples, who took the side of the legitimate heir. Ludovico il Moro responded by encouraging King Charles VIII of France to reclaim the Kingdom of Naples, as until 1442 the Neapolitan throne had belonged to Charles ancestors, the Capetian House of Anjou . In 1494 Charles VIII conquered Naples, upsetting the balance between the various Italian states and starting the Italian Wars . In 1495 Charles VIII

413-637: A seasonal basis and for longer periods of time. This mitigated population pressure and enabled relative prosperity. Around 1850, difficult economic conditions (customs unification after the creation of the Helvetian state, reprisals by the Austrian Lombardo-Venetian Kingdom, deterioration of climatic conditions) caused seasonal or temporary up to final emigration to overseas, esp to California and Australia. The Maggia valley lost one-third of its total population. The ensuing strong depopulation of

472-607: A sparse population was distributed in the entire Valley, probably oriented towards the Vicus Muralto. It is assumed that the valley's cultural landscape of terraces, planting of chestnuts and walnut trees may have begun during Roman times. The valley bottom was certainly populated by groups of Gauls (Maggia is a Gallic name) during the Iron Age . Roman tombs have been found in Avegno, Gordevio, Aurigeno, Moghegno, Cevio and Maggia . During

531-458: Is a solid metamorphic limestone, weather-resistant and crystalline. It's a high-quality product and it can be used both for constructions and sculpture. The marble industry of Peccia, born in 1946, has the most of its clientele in central Switzerland and northern European countries. Since the 1970s, tourism has gained importance, with a strong increase in the number of second homes. The Maggia valley's numerous infrastructures have led, especially, to

590-748: Is broad, but it is flanked by steep granite walls. The Maggia valley in its strict sense extends from Ponte Brolla in the South to Bignasco in the North. Going North the first side valley is Northeast of the village of Maggia , the Valle del Salto. The next side valley is the short Valle di Lodano. The next tributary to the Maggia from the West is the Rovana which joins in Cevio . Upstream it forms

649-624: Is part of the Lombard dialects’ family, also defined as Gallo-Italic. The background is Latin, with many Celtic elements; the dialect also presents Germanic influences, especially internalized during the Longobard rule and the Walser ’s settlement in Bosco/Gurin. The largest municipality is Maggia , at 323 metres altitude. Cevio at 418 metres is the former administrative centre and Bosco/Gurin at 1503 metres

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708-453: Is situated on the river. The river is used for hydroelectric power production, e.g. with the dams of Lago del Narèt and Lago del Sambuco near the sources. The Maggia river is a popular scuba diving spot due to its crystal clear waters. The name of the river derives from the name of the village Maggia. In the 1990s the river had a European record: the river that grew fastest during rains. This characteristic led to many tragedies in

767-785: Is the Val Canegia. To the Southwest of the Maggia Valley are Valle Onsernone and Centovalli . Parallelling the Maggia Valley in the East is the Valle Verzasca . The geographical configuration of the Maggia valley's territory goes from 254 m (833 ft) above sea level of Ponte Brolla to 3,272 m (10,735 ft) above s.l. of the Basòdino peak, with a height difference equal to 3,000 m (9,800 ft) in just 33.4 km (20.8 mi) as

826-587: The Cispadane Republic in 1797 to form the Cisalpine Republic , of which Milan became the capital. After the defeat of Napoleon, on the basis of the decisions taken by the Congress of Vienna on 9 June 1815, the Duchy of Milan was not restored but became part of the Kingdom of Lombardy–Venetia , a constituent land of the Austrian Empire . The kingdom ceased to exist when the remaining portion of it

885-509: The Emperor of Austria as its king. In 1859, Lombardy was ceded to the Kingdom of Piedmont-Sardinia , which became the Kingdom of Italy in 1861. The fate of the city of Milan was intertwined since the 13th century with that of the Visconti family , who resumed the policy of territorial expansionism inherited from the city's municipality. One of the first Visconti exponents to lead the Lombard city

944-601: The Gotthard Pass to the gates of Como (today's Canton of Ticino ). The Treaty of Noyon of 1516 confirmed the possession of the Duchy of Milan to the French. Francis of Valois governed the duchy until 1521, when Charles V, King of Spain and Holy Roman Emperor , raised Maximilian's young brother, Francesco II Sforza , to the throne of the duchy. After the decisive French defeat in the Battle of Pavia on 24 February 1525, which left

1003-460: The Lake Maggiore . The Maggia is fed by the rivers Melezza , Rovana (river) and Bavona , as well as other mountain streams, and can swell up to a current after torrential rains, even though its force has been regulated by numerous upstream dams and reservoirs. Over time, the river has flooded and eroded valuable areas of cultivation, partly due to extensive woodcutting, so the lower Maggia valley

1062-811: The Ottoman Turks , however, endangered the structure of the Venetian possessions in the Aegean Sea and after 4 years of war the Peace of Lodi was signed in 1454. With this document Francesco Sforza and Alfonso of Aragon were recognized respectively as Duke of Milan and King of Naples, the Republic of Venice extended its dominion up to the Adda and the Holy Italian League against the Turks

1121-524: The license to quarter the Visconti's biscione with the imperial eagle in the new ducal flag. The duchy, as defined in the diploma of 1395, included the territory surrounding Milan, between the Adda and Ticino rivers, but the dominions of Gian Galeazzo Visconti extended beyond, including 26 towns and spanned from Piedmont to Veneto and from present-day Canton of Ticino to Umbria . Milan thus became one of

1180-448: The 1950s, the "Maggia 1" plants were built: Sambuco, Peccia, Cavergno and Verbano with concessions until 2035. In the 1960s the "Maggia 2" plants were built: Cavagnoli-Naret, Robiei and Bavona, the concessions of which expire in 2048. The hydroelectric Officine produce 1265 GWh of energy on average per year, generating 50 million Francs and offering a hundred jobs. Mostly underground, the hydroelectric plants stretch for 60 kilometres, from

1239-539: The Canton Lugano; In 1803, Napoleon gave the Republic a federal structure and Ticino became its own autonomous canton with Vallemaggia as its own district and Cevio as the capital. In 1824, the first road to Bignasco is opened, in 1860 it is extended to the Valle Lavizzara, later in the Rovana until Cimalmotto in 1882, Valle Bosco after 1905 and Valle Peccia only between 1922 and 1924. In the mid-19th century due to

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1298-705: The Gries basin in Canton Valais to Brissago , on the lake Maggiore. 46°15′N 8°42′E  /  46.25°N 8.7°E  / 46.25; 8.7 Maggia (river) The Maggia is a river in the Swiss canton of Ticino . The springs are near the Cristallina mountain at 8136 ft (2480 m). The river runs through the Val Sambuco , the Val Lavizzara , and the Valle Maggia , and enters Lago Maggiore between Ascona and Locarno . The village Maggia

1357-659: The Lombard cities of Como , Crema , Lodi and the Valtellina in 1335, Bormio (Lombardy) and Piacenza (Emilia) in 1336, and Brescia and the Val Camonica in 1337. The brothers Luchino and Giovanni Visconti added Bellinzona (present-day Switzerland in 1342, Parma (Emilia) in 1346 and several territories in southwestern Piedmont in 1347: Tortona , Alessandria , Asti , and Mondovì . Bernabò conquered Reggio Emilia in 1371 and Riva del Garda in 1380, and Gian Galeazzo greatly expanded Milan's dominions, first eastwards, with

1416-460: The Maggia valley there's only 1,8% of the Ticinese population, even if it occupies 20% of the cantonal territory. The demographic density is, thus, very low: 9 inhabitants per square kilometre. From 1814 to 1824 a road (via cantonale) was built from Locarno on the Lake Maggiore to Bignasco, which broke the valley's isolation. In 1907, a railway line Locarno-Ponte Brolla-Bignasco was built. It helped

1475-628: The Middle Ages the Longobards reached Locarno and started dominating the valley under the feudal government of Capitanei. It is in this period that Christianism spreads and the church of San Vittore in Muralto was founded. Thereafter Maggia, Sornico and Cevio became independent parishes. Gradually, the individual neighborhoods organized in larger units. In the 14th century, Bignasco, Cavergno , Brontallo and Menzonio formed an administrative unit, as did

1534-724: The Milanese declared the so-called Golden Ambrosian Republic , which soon faced revolts and attacks from its neighbors. In 1450 mercenary captain Francesco Sforza , having previously married Filippo Maria Visconti's illegitimate daughter Bianca Maria, conquered the city and restored the duchy, founding the House of Sforza . The Venetian republic had not abandoned its desire to expand into Lombardy and therefore entered into an alliance with Alfonso V of Aragon , King of Naples , and with Emperor Frederick III , against Francesco I Sforza and his allies. The fall of Constantinople , conquered by

1593-650: The Republic of Venice which ceded the entire Apulian coast ( Brindisi , Monopoli , Gallipoli , Polignano , Lecce , Bari and Trani ) in exchange for the withdrawal of imperial claims on Milan, also due to the fact that Charles V did not want to clash with the Venetians, and he knew he didn't have the means to succeed, because the Venetians were too concerned that Milan not fall into the hands of foreigners powers, given that they did not consider themselves "capable of occupying it nor proportionate to be able to hold it". Francesco II Sforza died without heirs in 1535, opening

1652-481: The Val Rovana, which at Cerentino leads up into Valle di Bosco/Gurin and Valle di Campo . The upper Maggia valley beyond Bignasco splits into two dead ends, the two major glacial troughs of Val Bavona in the West and Val Lavizzara in the East. The latter is, in turn, divided in the side valleys of Valle di Peccia in the West, Val di Prato in the East as cul-de sacs, and Val Sambuco. The side valley West of Val Bavona

1711-556: The conquest of the Venetian cities of Verona (1387), Vicenza (1387), Feltre (1388), Belluno (1388) and Padua (briefly, from 1388 to 1390), and later southwards, conquering Lucca , Pisa and Siena in Tuscany in 1399, Perugia in Umbria in 1400, Bologna in Emilia in 1402, and Assisi in Umbria also in 1402. When the last Visconti duke, Filippo Maria , died in 1447 without a male heir,

1770-517: The crow flies. Because of its low altitude, temperatures are mild with a nearly Mediterranean climate, allowing palm trees to grow year round. Oaks and chestnuts grow up to an altitude of 1000 metres. Beyond 1000 metres, vegetation becomes more and more alpine and deciduous trees giving way to conifers and tundra plants. Finds from the Copper Age prove that the valley was settled at least since then. During Roman times (late Latène and Augustan period)

1829-443: The development of residential and hiking tourism. Skiing has a relevant importance, but this activity is mainly limited to Bosco/Gurin . The largest industries of the valley after tourism are stone quarrying and dairy production. The hydroelectric industry Officine Idroelettriche della Maggia (OFIMA) is a large employer in the valley. It began with a concession to build the dam for the reservoir Lago del Sambuco on 10 March 1949. In

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1888-486: The development of the quarries. The railroad was closed in 1965. Hydropower from Maggia began around 1950. It achieved great economic benefits however at the expense of environmental problems. As of 2010, there were nine power plants with a total production of about 611 megawatts. The creation of jobs slowed the rural exodus. Since the Middle Ages, the economy has been based on field (cereals, potatoes and linen) and viticulture and pasture management. For many centuries cheese

1947-541: The development of the silk industry. Following Napoleon Bonaparte 's victorious campaign in northern Italy in 1796, the duchy, entrusted to an interim government junta, was ceded to the French Republic by the Habsburgs with the Treaty of Campo Formio in 1797. But already in 1796 the French had established the vassal state of the Transpadane Republic on the territories of the Duchy of Milan, which merged with

2006-545: The duchy by making war. The latter, claiming it as an imperial fief upon the extinction of the Sforza, obtained control of the duchy and installed his son Philip II there with an imperial diploma signed in Brussels on 11 October 1540 and made public in 1554. Philip's possession of the duchy was finally recognized by King Henry II of France in 1559, with the Treaty of Cateau-Cambrésis . The duchy, having lost all forms of independence,

2065-503: The duchy. Under the reign of King Francis I , the French Crown managed to re-establish its sovereignty over the Milanese duchy. In 1515, after the bloody Battle of Marignano , which saw the defeat of the Swiss army, the French sovereign deposed Maximilian and installed himself on the ducal throne. Despite the defeat, the Swiss managed to retain the territories along the road that leads from

2124-529: The east, the Swiss Confederacy to the north, and separated from the Mediterranean by Republic of Genoa to the south. The duchy was at its largest at the beginning of the 15th century, at which time it included almost all of what is now Lombardy and parts of what are now Piedmont , Veneto, Tuscany , and Emilia-Romagna . Under the House of Sforza , Milan experienced a period of great prosperity with

2183-470: The economic center Locarno suburbanised in the last decades of the 20th century, much different from the more problematic development in the upper valleys. At the beginning of the 21st century, the Val Rovana, where the population had declined by 75% between 1860 and 1980, seemed to become a holiday resort, similar to the Val Bavona. The Valle Lavizzara was a little less affected by the population decline. Within

2242-505: The event of the extinction of the Visconti dynasty, the title of Duke of Milan went to Valentina's descendants. Louis XII, claiming to be the legitimate heir of the Viscontis, invaded the Milanese state in 1499, driving out Ludovico il Moro. The former Sforza ruler tried in vain to counter the transalpine troops, even asking the Emperor for help, but only managed to briefly recapture the capital and

2301-677: The five major states of the Italian peninsula in the 15th century. The House of Visconti had been expanding their dominions for nearly a century, under the reigns of Azzone Visconti , Luchino Visconti , Giovanni Visconti , Bernabò Visconti and Gian Galeazzo Visconti: during the rule of Azzone Visconti, the Ossola in Piedmont had been conquered in 1331, followed by Bergamo and Pavia (Lombardy) and Novara (Piedmont) in 1332, Pontremoli (Tuscany) in 1333, Vercelli (Piedmont) and Cremona (Lombardy) in 1334,

2360-563: The forces of Charles V in a strong position within the Italian peninsula, Francesco II Sforza joined the League of Cognac against Charles: together with him, the Republic of Venice , the Florentine Republic , Pope Clement VII and the Kingdom of France . The Duke was quickly overwhelmed by Charles troops, but managed to maintain control over some cities and strongholds of the duchy. Thanks to

2419-677: The introduction of the silk industry, becoming one of the wealthiest states during the Renaissance . From the late 15th century, the Duchy of Milan was contested between the forces of the Habsburg Monarchy and the Kingdom of France . It was ruled by Habsburg Spain from 1556 and it passed to Habsburg Austria in 1707 during the War of the Spanish Succession as a vacant Imperial fief . The duchy remained an Austrian possession until 1796 when

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2478-404: The local valleys characterized their coexistence. In 1403/04, the dispute between the communities of the lower valley and Cevio ended with a contract. From 1411 to 1412, the Valley tried to evade the Duchy of Milan and joined the Savoyards . In 1416, the Confederates occupied the valley. They returned it to Milan in 1422 and finally to the Rusca family in 1439. Around 1430, the Lavizzaratal valley

2537-413: The only German speaking community in Ticino in the upper Valle di Bosco/Gurin. Bignasco at 443 metres is a village at the junction of Maggia and Bavona valley. From the Middle Ages onwards people had emigrated to Locarno and the Sottoceneri. Population probably reached its peak in the middle of the 18th century, after which a first wave of bricklayers, stonemasons, grooms, traders and artists emigrated on

2596-430: The ordinary income of 1,200,000 gold florins , another 800,000 in extraordinary subsidies. The duchy was officially established on 11 May 1395, when Gian Galeazzo Visconti , the Dominus Generalis of Milan, obtained the title of Duke of Milan by means of a diploma signed in Prague by Wenceslaus of Bohemia . The nomination was ratified and celebrated in Milan on 5 September 1395. Gian Galeazzo Visconti also obtained

2655-400: The other main town to assess the litigation, in difficult cases with the help of local judges. The Valle Lavizzara defended its self-reliance against Vallemaggia. It sabotaged the attempts of some of the bailiffs and of the annual accounts statute to settle the court centrally in Cevio or to overturn the directors. When the Helvetian Republic was founded in 1798, the Valle Maggia became part of

2714-451: The past. One involved the collapse of a bridge connecting the old Maggia to Aurigeno and Moghegno which killed many people in the 1970s. This Ticino location article is a stub . You can help Misplaced Pages by expanding it . This article related to a river in Switzerland is a stub . You can help Misplaced Pages by expanding it . Duchy of Milan The Duchy of Milan ( Italian : Ducato di Milano ; Lombard : Ducaa de Milan )

2773-437: The storms in 1868, food shortage, economic hardship, and the gold rush many families emigrated to Australia and the Americas. Between 1840 and 1870 2000 people emigrated, manly men. Plinio Martini has described the harsh way of life in a novel called "The Bottom of the Sack". The villages of Lodano and Giumaglio have a combined population of around 200 people as compared to 500 in the 19th century. The Valmaggese dialect

2832-441: The valley and demographic imbalances (gender, aging, low fertility and high rates of singlehood) had long-term effects and triggered a further decline in agricultural productivity, which in turn led to new emigration. The most remote communities were the most affected. Only after the Second World War was there a gradual turnaround. However, the population development of the lower half of the valley, which benefited from its proximity to

2891-466: The villages of Val Lavizzara and Val Rovana (Cevio, Cavergno, Campo, Cerentino and Bosco were the Roana Superior). In 1398, the Vallemaggia, the Verzasca Valley and Mergoscia refused to pay royalties to the Locarno nobility, who had fiefs in these regions; In 1403, the valleys formally separated from Locarno and founded an independent judicial district with a 42-member general council and own land law (statuti) centered in Cevio; various conflicts between

2950-418: Was Ottone Visconti , elected archbishop in 1262 and who defeated the Della Torre family in the Battle of Desio in 1277. In the first half of the following century, his nephews and great-grandsons who came to govern Milan: Matteo I , Galeazzo I , Azzone and the Archbishop Giovanni , expanding the area of Visconti influence over the surrounding regions. An equal policy of enlargement and consolidation

3009-424: Was a state in Northern Italy , created in 1395 by Gian Galeazzo Visconti , then the lord of Milan, and a member of the important Visconti family , which had been ruling the city since 1277. At that time, it included twenty-six towns and the wide rural area of the middle Padan Plain east of the hills of Montferrat . During much of its existence, it was wedged between Savoy to the west, Republic of Venice to

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3068-417: Was annexed to the Kingdom of Italy in 1866. Under the Spanish viceroys from 1535, Milan became one of the contributors to the Spanish king's army. At the time Lombardy had the most developed manufacturing and commercial economy anywhere in the world, making it a valuable tool for the Spanish military: an armory of paramount strategic importance. In addition to resources, Milan also provided soldiers. During

3127-404: Was concluded. The political balance achieved with the Peace of Lodi lasted until the death of Lorenzo de' Medici , ruler of the Florentine Republic , and the incursion of King Charles VIII of France into Italy in 1494, except for some Swiss incursions which resulted in the Peace of Lucerne. Galeazzo Maria , son of Francesco Sforza, due to his government considered by many to be tyrannical,

3186-477: Was expelled from the Peninsula by a League composed of many Italian states, the Holy Roman Empire, the Spanish Empire and the Kingdom of England , but only three years later, in 1498, the Duke of Orléans, who had become King of France with the name of Louis XII , assert his claims on the Duchy of Milan: one of his ancestors, Louis of Orleans , had in fact married Valentina Visconti , daughter of Duke Gian Galeazzo, in 1389, whose marriage contract established that, in

3245-447: Was exported from Valle Maggia. Forests were often overused as a resource, which polluted the environment. Crafts (wool spinning, weaving, wood processing), soapstone industry and after the second half of the 19th century quarries thrived, in which marble and a special form of gneiss (Beola) were obtained. Famous is the marble obtained from the quarry located at the end of Val di Peccia, at an altitude of 1300 metres. The marble of Peccia

3304-498: Was legally separated from Valle Maggia. In 1513, the Helvetians occupied the valley, and for the next 300 years, from 1513 to 1798, Vallemaggia was one of the bailiwicks of the twelve Helvetian cantons; its German name was "Meiental" or "Mainthal". It was divided into the two valleys of Vallemaggia and Lavizzara, but only one fiscal head and one chief officiated and only for 2 years each; The latter chose his place of residence (in Cevio or Sornico) himself, but had to regularly reside in

3363-565: Was murdered in a conspiracy. His son, Gian Galeazzo , governed under the regency of his mother Bona of Savoy , until his uncle, Ludovico il Moro usurped the throne of the duchy. Ludovico il Moro, son of Francesco Sforza, managed to obtain the guardianship of his nephew Gian Galeazzo and confine him to the Visconti Castle of Pavia , where in 1494 he died in such mysterious circumstances that many suspicions gathered around Ludovico himself. Relations between Ludovico and Ferdinand II of Aragon therefore deteriorated: Gian Galeazzo had in fact married

3422-463: Was pursued in the second half of the century by their successors: Matteo II , Bernabò and Gian Galeazzo . After a period marked by tensions between the various members of the powerful family, Gian Galeazzo Visconti, nephew of Bernabò, came to power with a coup in 1385 and gradually unified the vast family domains scattered across Northern Italy . It is said that the territories subject to his dominion earned Gian Galeazzo in one year, in addition to

3481-402: Was then reduced to a regional state subjected to foreign domination. With the Treaty of Baden , which ended the War of the Spanish Succession , the Duchy of Milan was ceded to the Austrian Habsburgs . During the 18th century, the surface area of the duchy - despite its unification in 1745 with the Duchy of Mantua , which however had strong autonomy from Milan - was further reduced, reaching

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