By C. Perera, JadeTimes News
The 210 kilometer Walserweg Gottardo trail, inaugurated in May 2024, offers hikers a unique journey through the High Alps, traversing both Switzerland and Italy. This route not only showcases the region’s breathtaking natural beauty but also delves into the fascinating and lesser known history of the Walser people.
While taking a break along the trail, the resonant sound of cowbells echoed across the Alpine meadows adorned with wildflowers. Breathing in the crisp mountain air, I reflected on the resilience of the Walser people, who navigated these steep paths with their livestock and belongings. This ancient mule track ascends from the tiny hamlet of Fald, winding through the Binna Valley.
The trail aims to shed light on the intriguing history of the Walser people, who migrated through the Alps from Valais to Grisons during the 12th to 14th centuries. Predominantly shepherds, cattle breeders, and subsistence farmers, the Walser have long been a marginalized part of Swiss culture. Originating from the Canton of Valais in southwestern Switzerland, they primarily settled in altitudes just below the High Alps, a region historically feared by the Romans, who referred to it as terra maledicta or "cursed earth." Despite its daunting reputation, the Walser ventured eastward over generations, establishing small settlements in previously uninhabited areas.
The reasons behind the Walser migrations, known as Walserwanderungen, remain uncertain. Speculations range from overpopulation in Upper Valais to forced migration by feudal landlords. Andreas Weissen, a local guidebook author, recalls being taught in the 1960s that the migrations were driven by hunger and the search for uninhabited land. However, historians now suggest that it was part of a settlement program.
Today, the Walser population has dwindled to a few thousand, spread across approximately 150 villages along the trail. These communities maintain a distinct culture and language, speaking a dialect of German that is largely incomprehensible to speakers of Standard German. Living in traditional wooden "Walserhaus" homes, the Walser settlements stretch from Grisons in eastern Switzerland to as far north as Liechtenstein.
Despite their geographic dispersion, the Walser are acutely aware of the fragility of their smallholder culture, developed through necessity due to their historic isolation. Their traditions and characteristics, intangible in nature, risk being lost as Walser families leave the Alps in search of employment or marry into non Walser families. Karin Tomamichel of the Walserhaus Museum reflects on their identity, emphasizing the strength to endure harsh weather and isolation.
The creation of the Walserweg Gottardo, with the full support of Walser communities, aims to preserve and share their culture with a broader audience, even as their populations decline. The trail starts in Valais and follows their historical migration path, connecting visitors with various sites that highlight the Walser’s history and culture, including traditional villages, local eateries offering Walser cuisine, and the Walserhaus Museum in Bosco Gurin.
During my hike, I covered the first five stages of the trail, spanning 67 kilometers from Binn in Valais, the ancestral home of the Walser. This village still retains its narrow, car free paths, lined with chalet style blockbau homes. Valais, now predominantly French speaking, bears few physical reminders of the Walser, yet the linguistic and cultural roots remain evident.
The trail ascends through the lowest mountain pass, the Albrunpass, at 2,409 meters. Following in the footsteps of the Walser, I trekked along ancient paths through meadows and larch forests, encountering marmot burrows and patches of snow. After a 20 kilometer, seven hour ascent, I reached Italy’s Val Formazza, the first Walser settlement south of the Alps.
The Walser were pioneers in permanently settling this region, transforming hunting grounds and summer pastures into year round smallholdings. The enduring isolation of Val Formazza, with its village of Crampiolo unreachable by road and often snowbound during winter, has helped preserve Walser culture.
The trail is accessible from July to September, with snow blocking the route at other times. Although the only existing guide is in German, the well-signposted path is straightforward for seasoned hikers with a good level of fitness. Accommodation, often owned by the Walser, is available at the end of each stage.
Despite their conservative nature, the Walser migrations granted them almost revolutionary freedoms for the era. In return for settling the upper slopes, they were afforded several new rights, known as Walserrecht, including freedom from feudal obligations, the ability to pass inheritance to heirs, and the establishment of mayors elected by the community.
As I passed through settlements like Riale, known as Chärbach in Walsertitsch, I encountered small clusters of solid blockbau buildings and a hilltop chapel. These villages, with their rustic charm and rich culinary offerings, keep the Walser traditions alive, even in their semi-abandoned state early in the hiking season.
The route also reflects the Walser’s remarkable ability to adapt to their environment. In the 13th century, they crossed the Alps via the Hendar Furggu Pass to establish Bosco Gurin, the only German-speaking settlement in Ticino, Switzerland’s Italian majority canton.
The Walserweg Gottardo stage five traverses Val Formazza through shaded larch forests, opening into Alpine pastures and the serene Lake Superiore. Eventually, I reached Bosco Gurin’s Walserhaus ethnographic museum, housed in one of the oldest surviving structures in the Alps, dating back to 1386.
Upon arriving at the village, I was greeted by Tomamichel and Cristina Lessman Della Pietra, the Walserhaus's curator. Both descendants of Walser families, they expressed a profound pride in their heritage, tempered by the knowledge that their unique culture is at risk of fading away. The museum, founded in 1938, serves as a repository of Walser history, housing everyday artifacts from hand-carved cradles to an antique loom still used to weave cloth.
The Walser language, a defining aspect of their culture, faces an uncertain future. Tomamichel notes that while Cristina speaks Walsertitsch, she does not, highlighting the impact of modern migration and mixed marriages. The village population of Bosco Gurin has declined from 400 in the mid-19th century to just 50 today.
The Walserweg Gottardo trail is envisioned as a means to sustain the Walser culture by attracting hikers and creating new employment opportunities that encourage the Walser to remain in their ancestral homes. The presence of several young families in Bosco Gurin, including Tomamichel’s, offers hope for the future of these settlements.
