Monteviasco sits high above the Val Veddasca, just a few kilometers from the Swiss border. In recent years, the village has become a symbol of the fragile future facing many Italian mountain communities. Those who make it to Monteviasco today, whether by cable car or on foot along the steep trail, find a place that feels simultaneously quiet and defiant. Marked by decades of emigration, yet sustained by a small community that refuses to disappear.
Monteviasco: A Village Without a Road
Administratively, Monteviasco belongs to the municipality of Curiglia con Monteviasco in the Provincia di Varese. Well into the 20th century, numerous families here made their living through farming, crafts, and seasonal work across the border. With economic change and growing urbanization, however, a slow but steady population decline set in. What remained were mostly older residents, empty stone houses, and a village that became increasingly difficult to reach.
Accessibility is the defining thread of Monteviasco's recent history. For decades, the funivia was the village's primary link to the valley. But following a fatal accident in 2018, it was shut down, an event that drew attention across all of Italy. Almost overnight, Monteviasco was reduced to what it had once been: a village reachable only on foot, up more than a thousand steep steps. Food, gas canisters, and medications had to be carried up by hand; visits from tradespeople or medical staff became a logistical challenge.
Monteviasco in the Italian Media
Italian media returned to the village's story time and again. Particularly striking was a television report by ARTEthat portrayed Monteviasco as a "forgotten mountain village" and followed the daily lives of its remaining residents. Regional newspapers from Lombardia also reported regularly on the state of the cable car, on legal delays, questions of political responsibility, and the residents' growing impatience. In this way, Monteviasco became emblematic of structural problems affecting many remote regions of Italy.
In 2025, the long-stalled situation finally began to move. After years of technical reviews, funding questions, and approval processes, the cable car resumed operation. The reopening was not a grand spectacle, but a quiet, almost understated moment, and yet one of enormous significance. For the handful of permanent residents, it meant a tangible easing of daily life; for former inhabitants and visitors, it was a sign that Monteviasco had not been abandoned for good.
Cautious Optimism in the Mountain Village
With the return of the cable car came a renewed sense of cautious optimism. On weekends and during the summer months , hikers and day visitors are once again making their way to the village, drawn by its remoteness, the views of Lago Maggiore, and the distinctive atmosphere of a place that has deliberately stayed slow. Small initiatives are working to preserve the cultural heritage, organize festivals and gatherings, and make Monteviasco visible not just as a day-trip destination, but as a living community.
At the same time, the reality remains demanding. There is no shop, no school, no permanent medical care. Those who choose to live here knowingly accept a life with limitations and without the conveniences of modern infrastructure. For many visitors, however, that is precisely what makes Monteviasco so compelling.
A Village in Transition
Monteviasco today is neither a romantic open-air museum nor a place of easy answers. It is a village in transition, its future still open. Yet recent developments show that even very small communities can find a voice when they remain persistent. High above the Val Veddasca, Monteviasco serves as a reminder that Italy is not made up solely of major cities and tourist hotspots, but also of those quiet places whose continued existence says a great deal about how rural life is valued and managed.