Piazzogna facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Piazzogna
Former municipality of Switzerland
Coat of arms
Piazzogna Location in Switzerland Show map of Switzerland Piazzogna Location in Canton of Ticino Show map of Canton of Ticino
Country	Switzerland
Canton	Ticino
District	Locarno
Municipality	Gambarogno
Area
• Total	3.87 km2 (1.49 sq mi)
Elevation	365 m (1,198 ft)
Population
• Total	397
• Density	102.58/km2 (265.7/sq mi)
Postal code	6579
Surrounded by	Indemini, Locarno, Minusio, Muralto, San Nazzaro, Vira (Gambarogno)

Piazzogna used to be a small town, or 'municipality,' in the Locarno area of Ticino, Switzerland.

On April 25, 2010, Piazzogna joined with several other towns like Caviano and Magadino. They all became part of a new, bigger town called Gambarogno.

History of Piazzogna

Piazzogna was first written about in the year 1337, where it was called Piazognia. Later, in the 1500s, it was mentioned in a legal decision. This decision was about nearby villages sharing mountain pastures.

For a long time, Piazzogna was part of a larger town and church area called Vira. But by 1704, it started to become its own independent town. It officially became a separate political town in 1803.

The Village Church

The original church in Piazzogna was called S. Antonio Abate. It was probably built a very long time ago, during the Middle Ages, in a style called Romanesque.

However, this old church eventually fell apart. A new church was built in 1752. After Piazzogna became independent from Vira's church in 1837, this new church was made bigger several times.

Alabardia and Lake Maggiore

The small village of Alabardia was once part of the San Nazzaro church area. In 1783, it became famous because of experiments done there.

A scientist named Horace-Bénédict de Saussure used Alabardia to study air pressure around Lake Maggiore. He used a tool called a barometer for his tests.

Geography and Nature

Piazzogna covers an area of about 3.87 square kilometers (1.5 square miles). A large part of this land, about 80.4%, is covered by forests.

About 9.8% of the land is used for farming. This includes areas for growing crops and mountain pastures. Buildings and roads make up about 6.7% of the area.

A small part, 0.3%, is made up of rivers or lakes. The rest, about 6.2%, is land that isn't used for farming or building.

Where is Piazzogna?

The village is located in the Locarno area. It sits on a flat piece of land, like a terrace, high above the Gambarogno valley.

Piazzogna's Coat of Arms

The coat of arms for Piazzogna has a green background. On it, there is a silver cross that looks like the letter 'T'.

At the bottom of the shield, there are two golden fleur-de-lis symbols.

Population and People

In December 2004, Piazzogna had a population of 397 people. Over the ten years from 1997 to 2007, the number of people living there grew by 7.8%.

Languages Spoken

Most people in Piazzogna speak Italian, which is 80.7% of the population. The second most common language is German, spoken by 16.3% of the people.

A small number of people, 1.1%, speak French.

Age Groups in Piazzogna

In 2009, the population of Piazzogna included:

• Children (0-9 years old): 8.9%
• Teenagers (10-19 years old): 8.2%
• Young adults (20-29 years old): 11.0%
• Adults (30-39 years old): 14.0%
• Adults (40-49 years old): 18.6%
• Adults (50-59 years old): 11.5%
• Seniors (60-69 years old): 12.2%
• Seniors (70-79 years old): 10.5%
• Seniors (over 80 years old): 5.1%

Homes and Housing

In 2000, there were 160 private homes in Piazzogna. On average, about 2.3 people lived in each home.

Most of the buildings were single-family homes, making up 70.6% of all inhabited buildings. There were also some two-family buildings and multi-family buildings.

Many homes in Piazzogna are used seasonally, meaning people live there only part of the year. In 2000, about 62.9% of the apartments were used seasonally.

Historical Population Changes

The table below shows how Piazzogna's population has changed over many years:

Economy and Jobs

In 2007, the unemployment rate in Piazzogna was 4.04%. This means a small percentage of people looking for jobs could not find them.

Types of Jobs

In 2005, people in Piazzogna worked in different types of jobs:

• Primary Sector: 3 people worked in jobs like farming or forestry.
• Secondary Sector: 19 people worked in jobs like manufacturing or construction.
• Tertiary Sector: 72 people worked in service jobs, such as tourism, shops, or offices.

Many people who live in Piazzogna travel to other towns for work. In 2000, 98 workers left the village for their jobs, while 33 workers came into Piazzogna for work.

Most people (64.1%) used a private car to get to work. A smaller number (5.1%) used public transportation.

Religion

According to the 2000 census, most people in Piazzogna were Roman Catholic, making up 77.6% of the population. About 7.7% belonged to the Swiss Reformed Church.

Some people belonged to other churches not listed, and a few did not state their religion.

Education in Piazzogna

Switzerland is known for its good education system. In Piazzogna, about 71.9% of adults (aged 25 to 64) have completed higher education. This means they finished either high school or went on to college or university.

Student Numbers (2009)

In 2009, there were 50 students in Piazzogna.

• Kindergarten: 8 children were in kindergarten, which is not mandatory but helps prepare kids for school.
• Primary School: 17 students attended primary school, which lasts for five years.
• Lower Secondary School: 12 students were in a two-year middle school program. 5 students were in a four-year program that prepares them for higher education.
• Upper Secondary School: This level prepares students for trades or university. There were 2 students attending full-time vocational school and 6 attending part-time.

In 2000, 41 students from Piazzogna went to schools outside the village.

Images for kids

• 

  Piazzogna's coat of arms

See also

In Spanish: Piazzogna para niños