Isorno is a former municipality in the district of Locarno in the canton of Ticino in Switzerland. On 10 April 2016 the former municipalities of Vergeletto, Gresso, Mosogno and Isorno merged into the municipality of Onsernone.
The former municipality was created in 2001 by a merger of Auressio, Berzona and Loco.
History
Auressio is first mentioned in 1233 as Oraxio. Berzona is first mentioned in 1265 as Berzona. Loco is first mentioned in 1224 as Loco and was also known as Luogo.
Auressio
Until the 19th century, the village had much closer ties to Piedmont than to the rest of the Onsernone valley. The construction of the road through the valley in the 19th century brought it closer to the rest of the valley.
The church of S. Antonio Abate was finished in 1526 and became the center of an independent parish in 1792 after it separated from Loco.
After World War II farming and grazing were almost abandoned and replaced by short-term, seasonal emigration. The improved transport links to the nearby town of Locarno increased Auressio's attractiveness as a place to live for those that were employed in Locarno. This led to a clear population increase in recent years.
One notable building in Auressio is the Villa Edera, which was built in 1887, for the Paris impresario Paolo Antonio Calzonio. It was restored in the early 1990s by the municipality and is now used as a hostel.
Berzona
The village section of Seghelina is located directly on the main road, while the main village of Berzona is above the road. During the Middle Ages it was part of the Squadra of Onsernone.
The church of S. Defendente was built in 1564 and became a parish church when it separated from Loco in 1777. The section of Seghelina has the chapels of Santa Maria (1682) and S. Maria Lauretana (1766). The political municipality was created at the same time as the Canton of Ticino in 1803.
After World War II, much of the village population emigrated and sold their properties to outsiders. Many people who bought houses in Berzona were well known personalities from the arts and culture, such as Alfred Andersch, Golo Mann and Max Frisch. Today, the village is shrinking as few jobs in farming and grazing remain and most of the working population have moved to Locarno.
Loco
Loco also contained the hamlets of Niva and Rossa.
From the Middle Ages until the end of the Ancien Régime Loco was the capital of the old Onsernone valley community.
The parish church of San Remigio was the mother church of the valley and ancient seat of the Vicariate of Onsernone valley. It is first mentioned in 1228 (in the municipal archives), but is probably older. In the early 16th century it was rebuilt and acquired its current steeple. It houses the Holy Cross chapel with an ancient, venerated cross relic. The church is also the home of a Last Supper painting by the Flemish painter Godefridus Maes from 1683. In the hamlet of Niva, there is a late baroque chapel of St. John Nepomuk. The chapel in Sassello is from the late 17th century and is dedicated to the Madonna of Re.
In the 19th century, Loco was a center of the straw braiding for hats, bags and other articles. The straw braids that were used for this purpose were produced in the other villages of the Onsernone valley.
In addition to the typical houses with balconies, a number of aristocratic mansions are located in the village. These include the Casa Broggini (built 1708) in Rossa.
The primary school for the area is located in Loco, along with the Onsernonese Museum (opened 1966) and the renovated retirement home of the Onsernone valley. Near Loco, in a restored mill, there is a permanent exhibition on the grain milling in the area. Casa Shira (built in the 19th century, now owned by the community) has a small public library and a hostel.
At the beginning of the 21st century the majority of the workers commuted to Locarno.
Geography
Isorno had an area, , of . Of this area, 8.4% is used for agricultural purposes, while 73.2% is forested. Of the rest of the land, 0.9% is settled (buildings or roads) and 17.5% is unproductive land.
The former municipality is located in the Locarno district, in the Onsernone valley along the Isone river. It consists of the villages of Auressio, Berzona and Loco.
Coat of arms
The blazon of the municipal coat of arms is Per fess azure and vert a bar wavy argent and overall issuant from base three ribbons or interwoven ending in pall couped in chief. The new coat of arms symbolizes the merger, each thread of the twisted cord representing a former municipality.