Corippo: unfulfilled dreams A unique Swiss village (13 photos + 1 video)

Nestled on a steep mountainside in the Swiss Alps is the village of Corippo. But it's not just any village, it's an independent commune with its own coat of arms and a mayor who governs a council of just three local residents.





As of 2019, the population was just 9.



But it wasn't always this way. In the mid-19th century, when Corippo gained independence, its population numbered almost three hundred souls. However, like many Alpine settlements, the village has been emptying out in recent decades. Young people are leaving for the cities in search of work, education, and a more fulfilling life. Only the oldest remain at home. Of the nine current residents, only the mayor is employed; the rest are pensioners.





To save the village from becoming a ghost town, the local non-profit foundation "Fondazione Corippo 1975" has proposed a plan: transform the entire village into a tourist resort.



Corippo has about 60 empty houses, built of local granite, with stone roofs and chestnut floors. Some of them have been untouched for over sixty years. The idea is to convert some of these houses into guesthouses. The village restaurant will become the administrative building, the central square the hall, the streets the corridors, and the houses the hotel rooms.



This concept is known as albergo diffuso, or "dispersed hotel." It was first tried in northeastern Italy to rebuild villages devastated by the 1976 earthquake. It has never been tried before in Switzerland.



The first two-bedroom cottage, Casa Arcotti, welcomed guests at the end of July 2018. The remaining cottages are gradually being restored.



Plans for a full-scale opening by 2020 proved too optimistic for the harsh reality. In 2022, Corippo underwent a renovation based on the albergo diffuso model: the historic buildings were converted into dispersed hotel rooms.



Jeremy Goering and Desiree Voitle, managers of Corippo Albergo Diffuso, now live in Corippo full-time with their son and twin daughters—the youngest residents of the village.



Today, Corippo Albergo Diffuso has 10 rooms and welcomes guests year-round. Its cozy apartments boast a rustic charm, and the property boasts a restaurant serving exquisite cuisine on a spacious terrace. The culinary approach is Italian, but with French techniques.



Despite this, the project to completely transform the village into a hotel remains in the plans. Currently, you can rent one of several restored cottages to experience firsthand the peace, tranquility, and serene melancholy of this dying, yet incredibly beautiful village.