Faido

Fresh air excursion

The 43-metre-high Piumogna waterfall, not far from the centre of Faido, gives no indication of the dramatic events that took place in the Leventina in 1755. Instead, this idyllic spot offers a wonderful natural spectacle.

Faido in 1755

Faido, 2 June 1755. All the men of the Leventina valley community, a total of 3,000, are gathered in the village square. None of them are there voluntarily. Surrounded by federal troops, the sentence of the Uri authorities is announced to them: their ancient rights and privileges are cancelled and the entire valley community is degraded to the status of dishonour and defencelessness. The Leventines were then forced to swear an oath of unconditional and eternal obedience to Uri. As the climax of the demonstration of power, the people of Uri staged the execution of standard-bearer Giovanni Antonio Forni, governor Giovanni Lorenzo Orsi and councillor Giuseppe Sartore, who were all beheaded by the executioner. As a deterrent, their heads were put on display at the scaffold.

This humiliation was the low point of a relationship that had begun on an equal footing. Taken over by the Confederates for the first time in 1403, the Leventina remained firmly united with Uri after changing fortunes since 1441. The valley was placed under the authority of a bailiff, but retained a certain degree of independence in administration and defence. When the Uri side sounded the call to arms, the Leventines went into battle with them. In 1478, they defeated a numerically superior Milanese army near Giornico, and in 1515 in Marignano, 93 of the battle casualties came from the Leventina. ‘The people of Uri and the Leventines shared a free-thinking, independent attitude towards mountain farming and an interest in maintaining the same trade route, which transcended language and racial differences,’ writes Wilhelm Keller in the standard work “Uri Land am Gotthard”.

A kind of Uri colony

Nevertheless, the transalpine relationship was not free of tensions. Over time, the people of Uri became increasingly dominant and authoritarian. In the 18th century, the democracy of the Central Swiss people had been transformed into an elitist authoritarian state in the style of European absolutism. The self-determination of the Leventineses was increasingly curtailed. In addition, the bailiffs of Uri shamelessly exploited their position and also enriched themselves personally. From the 17th century onwards, the Leventina was a kind of colony of Uri.

The reason that led to the escalation in 1755 was trivial. There were supposed to have been irregularities in the administration of orphans' funds by members of the Leventina upper class. Uri ordered an investigation. The guardians, when called to account, managed to portray this perfectly justified action as an infringement of old local rights and incite the population. When their bailiff was arrested in Faido, the people of Uri had to react if they did not want to lose control. They crossed the still snow-covered Gotthard with 2,500 men and guns. Without meeting any real resistance, the expeditionary force occupied the valley and entered Faido on 22 May 1755. The ‘gracious lords and superiors’ showed no mercy. Instead, they made an example of the three ringleaders by executing them in front of everyone, as described at the beginning.

Uri or Ticino?

The Leventina uprising was not an isolated incident. During the 18th century, there were subject revolts in a wide variety of places in the Confederation, but these remained localised. In most cases, the rebels demanded the return of old rights that had been taken away from them over time. The authorities were always faced with the fundamental question of whether to give in to the pressure or tighten the screws. In most cases, they chose the second option, with the result that the rebels suffered the same fate as the Leventines in 1755.

It was the French who then overthrew the ancien régime in Switzerland. Uri's rule in the Leventina ended in 1798. But after Napoleon's abdication, there were efforts to turn back the wheel of time. For example, Bern laid claim to its former subject territories in the cantons of Vaud and Aargau, and Uri also began to woo the Leventina. This in turn infuriated the authorities of the canton of Ticino, which had been created by Napoleon. The Leventina's more than 300-year connection with Uri was juxtaposed with its 16-year affiliation with the canton of Ticino. What now?

Decision in Vienna

‘You have been connected to Uri for centuries, you belong to Uri,’ Altdorf announced. On 9 April 1814, the people of Uri presented a draft for a new constitution. The canton of Uri was now to consist of three districts, namely Altdorf, Urseren and Liffinen. The Leventina, which at that time comprised twenty

municipalities, was to have its own laws, its own officials and its own judges, and was to delegate a number of district councillors to Altdorf. Furthermore, the district was to receive its own district government, administer the commons itself and also hold police power. Tempting prospects!

In fact, Faido, Mairengo, Calpiogna, Calonico, Chioggiogna, Quinto and Airolo voted in favour of reunification with Uri. The matter was hotly debated at the Federal Diet, but without result. Finally, a court of arbitration was appointed. But the final decision was not made in Zurich, Lucerne or Bern, but in Vienna. On 10 December 1814, the Congress of Vienna ruled that the Leventina would remain part of the canton of Ticino.

Monument

Since May 2019, a wooden sculpture on the town hall square of Faido, Piazza Franscini, has commemorated the rebels of 1755 who were sentenced to death. Right next to it, carved in stone, stands a monument to Stefano Franscini (1796–1857), who was born in Bodio and was the first person from Ticino to be elected to the Swiss Federal Council.

Museum of local history

The Valley Museum in Giornico is well worth a visit for anyone interested in the history of the Leventina Valley (www.museodileventina.ch). by Omar Gisler

Getting there: by Treno Gottardo to Faido