Montagnola facts for kids
Montagnola is a charming Swiss village. It's located in the Collina d'Oro area, which means "Golden Hill" in Italian. This village is in the Italian-speaking part of Switzerland, called the canton of Ticino. It's very close to the border with Italy. From Montagnola, you can see beautiful views of Lake Lugano and the city of Lugano. It's part of the local church area of Sant'Abbondio Gentilino.
Montagnola is known for a few special places. These include the house where the famous writer Hermann Hesse lived for many years. There's also a house where George Harrison from The Beatles stayed for health reasons. Another important place is The American School In Switzerland (TASIS), which is a well-known international boarding school.
Montagnola used to be its own town. But in 2004, it joined with two other villages, Agra and Gentilino, to create the new municipality called Collina d'Oro.
Montagnola's Past
Montagnola was first mentioned way back in 1226. Back then, it was called Montegnola.
Over time, several small areas joined together. This led to the creation of a larger community that included Montagnola and its nearby small villages like Viglio and Arasio.
Montagnola has always been connected to the church of S. Abbondio in Gentilino. Small chapels in the area, like S. Silvestro and SS Nazaro, were first mentioned in the 1200s and 1400s.
For a long time, people in Montagnola mostly worked in farming. Many skilled builders and architects from families like the Gilardi and Lucchini also left the village to work in other European countries, especially Russia. Some of these builders became very famous for their work.
The village's lovely weather and beautiful location attracted many famous people from other countries. One of them was the writer Hermann Hesse. A museum dedicated to him opened in Montagnola in 1997.
Since 1956, Montagnola has been home to The American School In Switzerland. This international school has many students from all over the world. Because it's so close to Lugano, Montagnola has become a popular place for people who work in the city to live.
Where is Montagnola?
The area that used to be Montagnola stretched across the middle part of the Collina d'Oro valley. It included several small villages.
Today, Montagnola has a school for young children and a primary school for older kids. As mentioned, The American School In Switzerland is also located here.
The local public library, La Biblioteca comunale di Collina d'Oro, is in Montagnola. It's close to the community school and opened in 1990.
How Many People Lived Here?
The number of people living in Montagnola has changed a lot over the years.
- In 1850, about 551 people lived in Montagnola.
- By 1900, the population grew to 678 people.
- In 1950, there were 930 residents.
- By 1980, the number had jumped to 1,646 people.
- In 2000, just before it merged with other villages, Montagnola had 2,092 residents.
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