A small corner of paradise, hidden between Mount Generoso and the Intelvi Valley, perhaps destined to disappear one day, but, for the moment, still lived in by a few ‘resident-residents’ and very popular with walkers who go from the city in search of a bit of tranquility immersed in nature.
We are talking about Erbonnea small, or rather very small, town in Centro Valle Intelvi, a few kilometers from Switzerland, made up of 52 buildings and where only seven inhabitants live (yes, dear readers, you didn’t read it wrong).
Erbonne is located at 940 meters above sea level and bears the signs of a thousand-year history: over the years, in fact, numerous worked flint tools dating back to the 6th millennium BC have been found, traces of bivouacs dating back to the Mesolithic era and ceramic fragments which, together with a bronze axe, they date between the end of the Bronze Age and the 8th century BC; a tomb containing two jars, a Roman coin and two bronze rings can then be attributed to the second Iron Age.
The village is not difficult to reach, at least since 2005, when the asphalt bridge allows vehicles to pass. On the contrary, before there was no road and residents, in order to move from the town, had to navigate the paths to reach Switzerland, a few hundred meters away, or Casasco (the nearest village in the Intelvi Valley). Walking along the cobblestones you can hear the echo of a past that no longer exists, accompanied by the mooing of some cow or the local speech of the very last remaining residents and where the dialect is a mix between that of Como and that of Ticino.
The small village is famous not only for its tranquility, but also for smuggling, a phenomenon that spread half a century ago throughout the entire Intelvese territory. Erbonne was a crucial point, being a border area, and inside it a small barracks of the Guardia di Finanza was built to capture the “sfrusaduur” (as they are called in the local dialect), today transformed into a museum.
Today all that remains of all this are memories and some old witnesses of a small mountain town, overwhelmed by modernity and tyrannical time.
In the summer, however, many people go up to Erbonne just to taste the excellent typical dishes of the Osteria del Valico in a unique atmosphere.
To fully enjoy uncontaminated nature, you can finally take advantage of the numerous trekking paths that start from the village, perhaps also visiting the famous cave called “Buco della Volpe”.
