Corippo is a tiny, beautiful village in Switzerland’s Southern Alps. Even though it looks like a fairy-tale place, it was not popular with tourists. In 2019, only nine elderly people were living there, and the village was close to becoming empty. This made Corippo the smallest municipality in Switzerland.
A village frozen in time
Corippo is in Ticino, an Italian-speaking region. The village has only one narrow road, stone houses, and quiet lanes. When the writer visited in 2020 during COVID-19, they didn’t see anyone—just the sound of the clock tower ringing.
How the village was saved
In 2022, Corippo became Switzerland’s first Albergo Diffuso, a “widespread hotel.”
This means hotel rooms are spread across different old houses instead of one big building. Tourists stay inside restored historical homes, making the experience more real and local.
A local group, Fondazione Corippo, created this idea to save the village and bring life back. Old abandoned houses were turned into cozy rooms, and a couple—Jeremy Gehring and Désirée Voitle—moved to Corippo to manage the project. They now live there with their children, who are the youngest residents.
What Corippo offers today
The Albergo Diffuso has 10 rooms, open all year. There is also an osteria (restaurant) serving Italian-style food with French cooking techniques.
Corippo is over 700 years old and once had more than 300 people. Over time, as farming stopped and people moved away, the population dropped. But now, because of the hotel, more visitors are coming to explore this charming village.
Even with more tourists, Corippo will stay the same because it is a protected historic area.
Explore Verzasca Valley
Corippo is located in the beautiful Verzasca Valley, known for:
-
Hiking and camping
-
Mountain biking
-
Clear emerald-green pools
-
Waterfalls
-
Small cozy restaurants called grottos
-
The famous Ponte dei Salti stone bridge
-
The Verzasca Dam, seen in the James Bond movie GoldenEye (and where you can try a big bungee jump)
Life in this valley is peaceful and slow, even though there is so much to explore. It’s close to the city of Lugano but feels like a different world.
Voitle, one of the managers, says they love the village’s nature, fresh air, clear water, and calm lifestyle.
#Corippo #Switzerland #TravelSwitzerland #SmallestVillage #Ticino #VerzascaValley #AlbergoDiffuso #SustainableTourism #HistoricVillages