Photos

This is the small mountain settlement of Revöira, high above the Verzasca river in Ticino. What makes this settlement noteworthy is the number of granite basins, such as the one pictured, to be found here. The purpose of these laboriously hewn containers was to collect rainfall in an area where the lack of natural springs meant that finding water during dry spells was difficult. Nowadays, a well has been sunk to support the few people who use these huts as refuges and holiday-homes during the Summer. My shot was carefully framed to avoid the new well, with its ugly chickenwire protection, which is located immediately to the left of this image.

Revöira is only reachable via an arduous mountain path which I hiked with a heavy pack of camera gear on my back. About halfway into the hike, I was surprised to meet an old woman who was sweeping fallen leaves from the path with a broom. I said 'hello' and she asked if I was going to Revöira and I told her that that was indeed my destination. She then offered to lead the way and suggested we have a cup of coffee at her hut, on arrival. As I laboured up the path with her nimbly proceeding ahead of me, I couldn't help thinking she seemed remarkably fit. Now my grasp of Italian is sketchy at best and her grasp of any other language was similarly limited but somehow we managed to communicate. She later told me she was 75 and only lived at Revöira for short spells, owning houses in both Lavertezzo and Gordola. This last fact rather spoiled my image of a fit mountain-dweller, used to a life of hardship... :-)