Vallemaggia, or Valle Maggia, is an alpine valley located in the Swiss canton of Ticino, north of the town of Locarno. It is crossed by the Maggia. About fifty kilometers long, it branches out into many side valleys that are often uninhabited.
The Mergozzo pasture
The Mergozzo pasture is located in the municipality of Avegno-Gordevio in Vallemaggia, Ticino (Switzerland). Located at an altitude of 1,400 meters, it welcomes over sixty goats every summer, owned by the Maddalena family. Inscriptions on “rustici” (typical granite houses) show that this mountain pasture was already occupied in the 17th century, a time when conditions must have been very harsh. More recently, several of these old stone huts have been carefully renovated in a spirit of heritage conservation and offer all modern comforts to shepherds who stay on the mountain pastures in summer.