Chapter 3 – Subsistence & Craft
Nothing was bought that could be made by hand. From livestock on the alpine pastures to hemp in the fields and chestnuts in the grove – every task in Corippo was a link in a chain of survival that sustained the village for centuries.
The remoteness of the valley demanded the utmost self-sufficiency from its inhabitants. People consumed what they could grow or produce themselves. Livestock rearing and crop cultivation on tiny terraced plots dictated the rhythm of the year. From as early as the 14th century, the villagers practised transhumance: to sustain the herds through winter, they were driven down to the warmer Magadino Plain before returning to the alpine pastures in spring.
Transhumance between the Alps and the Magadino Plain begins.
Long tradition of local textile production.
Complete self-sufficiency dictated the rhythm of the year.
Textiles also had to be produced locally. The region, and Corippo in particular, had a long tradition of cultivating and processing hemp (canapa) and flax. The plant was essential for self-sufficiency. Through extremely labour-intensive steps, above all the «gramolatura» (breaking the stalks with a wooden brake), the fibres were extracted, spun, and woven on hand looms into durable, coarse but extremely robust fabrics for work clothing and sacks.
The sweet chestnut was the true lifesaver of the Ticinese mountain valleys. Learn about the delicate three-week drying process in the «graa» and the handcrafted «gerla» baskets that carried goods up the steep village stairs.
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