Chironico facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Chironico
Former municipality of Switzerland
Coat of arms
Chironico Location in Switzerland Show map of Switzerland Chironico Location in Canton of Ticino Show map of Canton of Ticino
Country	Switzerland
Canton	Ticino
District	Leventina
Area
• Total	57.77 km2 (22.31 sq mi)
Elevation	786 m (2,579 ft)
Population  (December 2004)
• Total	402
• Density	6.959/km2 (18.023/sq mi)
Postal code	6747
Surrounded by	Anzonico, Dalpe, Faido, Frasco, Giornico, Lavizzara, Sonogno

Chironico is a small, former town in Switzerland. It's located in the Ticino region, which is known for its beautiful mountains and valleys. On April 1, 2012, Chironico joined with several other towns to become part of the larger municipality of Faido.

History of Chironico

Chironico was first mentioned way back in 1202, so it's a very old place! The main part of the town sits on a flat area. This area was partly formed by a huge landslide long ago, on the other side of the valley.

Some parts of Chironico, like Grumo and Nivo, are at the heart of the settlement. Nivo is the only part right at the bottom of the valley. Higher up, on steep rocky areas, you'll find smaller settlements like Cala, Doro, Olina, and Osadigo Chiesso. These places are surrounded by farmland. It's unclear if they were once just summer camps for farmers or actual villages. The mountain village of Gribbio has a road, but it's often closed in winter due to snow.

Many of these smaller settlements have chapels, which are small churches. These were built between the 16th and 18th centuries. In the past, people lived in these areas for most of the year. During the Middle Ages, they might have even lived there all year round. These places were very important for the town's economy and social life. Today, some have become holiday homes. For centuries, many people from Chironico moved away, first to Italy, and later to France and England.

In the main part of Chironico, you can see typical old stone buildings. There's a small church called S. Ambrogio with a medieval twin apse (a rounded end part of a church) and cool old paintings called frescoes. Near the church is the Pedrini tower, a six-story building from the early 1200s. On the edge of the town is the medieval parish church of S. Maurizio. This church has old records from people who worked as innkeepers in Venice and a valuable martyrology (a list of martyrs) from the 14th-15th centuries.

During the Middle Ages, an important path for mules (a type of animal used for transport) passed through Chironico.

Geography of Chironico

An aerial view of Chironico from 1964.

Chironico covers an area of about 57.77 square kilometers (about 22.3 square miles). A small part of this land (1.1%) is used for farming. A large portion (40.2%) is covered by forests. About 1% of the land has buildings or roads. Rivers and lakes make up 1.3% of the area. The largest part, 42.6%, is unproductive land, meaning it's too rocky or has too little vegetation for farming or building.

The town is located in the Leventina district, on the right side of the mid-Leventina valley. It sits at an elevation of about 786 meters (2,579 feet) above sea level. The area stretches from the Ticino River at the Biaschina-Schlucht (around 450 meters or 1,476 feet high) up to the Pizzo Campo Tencia mountain (3,072 meters or 10,079 feet high).

Coat of Arms

The coat of arms for Chironico shows a red shield with a black pilgrim (a traveler). Above him, there's a silver band with a wall-like pattern, which looks like the top of a castle.

People of Chironico

As of 2008, Chironico had a population of 402 people. About 4% of the people living there were from other countries. Over ten years (from 1997 to 2007), the population decreased by about 7.3%.

Most people in Chironico speak Italian (87.8%). German is the second most common language (6.9%), followed by Serbo-Croatian (4.5%).

In 2008, there were slightly more men (50.1%) than women (49.9%) living in Chironico.

The age groups in Chironico in 2009 were:

• Children (0-9 years old): 6.4%
• Teenagers (10-19 years old): 12.1%
• Adults (20-59 years old): 52.9%
• Seniors (60+ years old): 28.5%

In 2000, there were 185 homes in Chironico, with an average of 2.2 people living in each home. Most of the buildings (85.2%) were single-family homes.

Here's how the population of Chironico has changed over time:

Important Heritage Sites

The Church of S. Ambrogio and the Torre Pedrini are very important historical buildings in Switzerland. They are listed as heritage sites of national significance. The whole village of Chironico is also recognized as an important Swiss heritage site.

Economy

In 2007, the unemployment rate in Chironico was 1.75%, which is very low. In 2005, many people worked in farming (34 people). Others worked in manufacturing (54 people), which means making things. A smaller number (20 people) worked in the service industry, like shops or hotels.

Most people who live in Chironico travel outside the town for work. In 2000, about 7.9% of workers used public transportation, and 60.4% used a private car to get to their jobs.

As of 2009, there was one hotel in Chironico.

Religion

According to the 2000 census, most people in Chironico (84.9%) were Roman Catholic. A smaller group (2.2%) belonged to the Swiss Reformed Church.

Education

In Chironico, many adults (66.8% of those aged 25-64) have completed higher education, like university or special colleges.

In 2009, there were 61 students in Chironico. The education system in Ticino offers up to three years of optional kindergarten. In Chironico, 9 children were in kindergarten. Primary school lasts five years. There were 13 students in standard primary schools.

After primary school, students go to lower secondary school. Some attend a two-year middle school, and others go to a four-year program to prepare for higher education. There were 16 students in the two-year middle school and 10 in the four-year advanced program.

Upper secondary school prepares students for a trade or for university. Some students learn a trade while working, which takes three or four years. Others attend school full-time for one year. In Chironico, 3 students were full-time vocational students, and 7 were part-time. There were also 3 students in a professional program that prepares them for jobs in fields like engineering or nursing.

In 2000, 35 students from Chironico went to schools outside the town.

Sports and Exercise

Rock Climbing

Chironico is famous among climbers because it has one of the hardest boulder problems (a type of rock climbing challenge) in the world. It's called Alphane and is considered the hardest in Switzerland!

See also

In Spanish: Chironico para niños