LITERATURE

The Verzasca Valley has produced a number of intellectuals. The most noteworthy are two brothers, Piero and Giovanni Bianconi, and Anna Gnesa. These writers are closely tied to their homeland, very aware of the rural civilization of Ticino.

Piero Bianconi (1899-1984)
Piero Bianconi was originally from Verzasca. He taught for many years and was a writer, an art historian and an essayist. He wrote a number of books and essays. He got his degree at Freiburg University and before teaching at the Locarno Teacher’s College and the Lyceum, he lived in Rome and Florence. His works include "Occhi sul Ticino" (1978), "La Svizzera Italiana nell'arte e nella natura" (1942) and "Albero genealogico" (1969).

Giovanni Bianconi (1891-1981)
Giovanni Bianconi was as famous as his brother Piero. He was well-known for his poetry written in peasant dialect, such as "Un güst da pan da segra" (1986) and "Ofell dal specc" (1944).

Anna Gnesa (1904-1986)
Born in Brione Verzasca, Anna Gnesa began her teaching career in Lavertezzo after obtaining her teacher's diploma at the teacher's college in Locarno. She got her degree from the Facultury of Literature at the University of Zurich in 1948, after which she returned to Ticino to teach in Caslano, Tenero and Gordola. She contributed articles to a number of magazines and published "Questa Valle" (1974) and "Lungo la Strada" (1978).

Doris Schmid alias Kathrin Rüegg (1930-2011)
Katrien Rüegg was a prolific writer and was well known to the German-speaking public thanks to her appearances on television. She has written cook books and a number of books on the Verzasca Valley, where she lived for several years, in Gerra Verzasca.