Ernesto is 2 and a half years old – and the first child in the small Swiss mountain
village of Corippo in about 50 years. His parents threw everything overboard and came
here a year ago. Désirée Voitle and Jeremy Gehring are helping turn Corippo into a hotel village.
They run an osteria and rent out rooms in some of the old, abandoned stone houses.
The village in the Ticino region once had
300 inhabitants, but now there are just 9 counting Ernesto and his parents.
The hotel has a total of 10 rooms so far. But they call it an 'albergo diffuso',
a hotel that's spread out across the village. The alleyways are the hallways and corridors
of the hotel. The osteria is the main building and reception area.
Désirée Voitle is trained in the hospitality branch. While Jeremy Gehring is a gourmet chef.
Corippo is a listed site. So they were only allowed to make minimal changes when restoring it.
The rooms are named after the people who once lived here.
The residents left the village because it was no longer possible to make
a living here through forestry or farming.
A foundation tasked with saving Corippo from decay
came up with the village hotel concept and bought 10 old buildings.
Jeremy Gehring prefers to use local products to cook in the hotel osteria
like polenta from the village mill.
Corippo lies to the north of Lake Maggiore.
And the surrounding nature attracts many hikers and sport enthusiasts.
It's the first season for the new albergo diffuso. But already, on the weekend, it's fully booked.
The few locals left hope the project will
bring their village back to life.
Ernesto attends a kindergarten in the valley below.
It's a 15-minute drive away.
Désirée Voitle is glad he's gotten used to village life.
Soon, another 2 rooms are due to be added to the albergo diffuso.
Because the hotel is doing so well at least in summer
they want to stay open all year round.
The French/Swiss couple aren't afraid of getting lonely in winter.
Désirée Voitle and her family had comfortable
lives down in the valley before moving up to this remote mountain village.
But they haven't regretted their decision for even one minute.