Peccia facts for kids
Peccia was once a small town in Switzerland. In April 2004, it joined with five other towns to form a new, larger community called Lavizzara. About 1,000 people live in Lavizzara today. The other towns that joined were Broglio, Brontallo, Fusio, Menzonio, and Prato-Sornico. Peccia itself has smaller areas within it, like Veglia, Cortignelli, San Carlo, and Piano di Peccia.
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A Look Back: Peccia's History
Peccia was first mentioned in old records way back in 1374. It was called Petia then.
Early Days of the Valley
For a long time, Peccia, along with Broglio, Fusio, Prato, and Sornico, were all part of one big "valley community" called Lavizzara. This changed in 1374 when the community split into separate villages. Peccia became the biggest village in the Lavizzara area. It even included the settlement of Mogno and the Peccia Valley, which became independent in 1669. Some shared land among Fusio, Peccia, Prato, and Sornico stayed shared until 1929.
Churches and Floods
Peccia was part of the Sornico church area until 1613. That year, the church of S. Antonio Abate in Peccia became its own main church. This church was built in the 1500s. Sadly, big floods in 1834 and 1868 damaged parts of the village. The church had to be completely rebuilt after these floods. Another church, S. Carlo, was built in the valley in 1617 and became a main church in 1669.
Working in Peccia
At the start of the 1900s, many people in Peccia worked with soapstone. They dug it out, shaped it into things like pots and stone ovens, and sold it. Since 1946, people have also been mining white marble here. This is the only marble quarry in all of Switzerland! Because marble was so important, a special school for sculpting was started in 1984. This local marble was even used to rebuild the church in Mogno. The old church was destroyed by a snowslide in 1986.
In the early 2000s, making things (manufacturing) provided over a third of the jobs in Peccia. A very large hydroelectric power plant was built in the Peccia Valley between 1950 and 1956. It uses water from the Maggia river to make electricity. In recent years, the village has also worked on making itself a good place for tourists to visit.
Where is Peccia?
Peccia is located in the Vallemaggia area. It's about 39 km (24 mi) away from a town called Locarno. The area of Peccia is about 54.26 square kilometers (20.95 sq mi).
What the Land is Used For
- About 0.7% of the land is used for farming.
- Around 26.7% is covered by forests.
- Only 0.9% has buildings or roads.
- About 1.7% is rivers or lakes.
- A large part, 52.5%, is land that isn't used for farming or building, like rocky areas.
The main village of Peccia is located about 840 m (2,760 ft) above sea level in the Valle Maggia.
Peccia's Coat of Arms
A coat of arms is like a special symbol for a town or family. Peccia's coat of arms shows a green fir tree growing from a green hill on a silver background.
The name Peccia is also a family name in Italy. For example, a past mayor of Olevano sul Tusciano was named Luigi Peccia.
Who Lives in Peccia?
In December 2000, Peccia had a population of 171 people.
Languages Spoken
Most people in Peccia speak Italian language. In 2000, 161 people (94.2%) spoke Italian. The next most common language was German, spoken by 5 people (2.9%). Three people (1.8%) spoke Portuguese. A few people also spoke French.
Where People Were Born
About 60.8% of the people living in Peccia in 2000 were born there. Another 22.2% were born in the same part of Switzerland. About 4.7% were born elsewhere in Switzerland, and 12.3% were born outside of Switzerland.
Population Over Time
The chart below shows how Peccia's population has changed over many years:
Peccia's Economy
In 2000, 64 people living in Peccia had jobs. About 23.4% of these workers were women. Some people (26 workers) traveled into Peccia for work, while more people (30 workers) traveled out of Peccia to work somewhere else. This means more people leave Peccia for jobs than come in.
Religion in Peccia
According to the 2000 census, most people in Peccia were Roman Catholic (93.0%). A small number (1.2%) belonged to the Swiss Reformed Church. There were also a few people (1.75%) who were part of the Christian Catholic Church of Switzerland. About 1.17% of the population did not belong to any church.
Education in Peccia
In Peccia, about 41.5% of the people had finished high school (called "upper secondary education" in Switzerland). A smaller group, about 4.1%, had gone on to higher education, like a university. Of those with higher education, most were Swiss men.
In 2000, 10 students came to Peccia from other villages to go to school. At the same time, 17 students who lived in Peccia went to schools outside the village.
