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History of Airolo


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In the settlement of Madrano, Roman tombs from the 2nd and 3rd Centuries AD were found. They belonged to a Vicus, whose inhabitants probably collected crystal, which was processed in Locarno into glass. The ruins of Stalvedro Castle are probably from a 13th Century Lombardy noble family. Tradition and written sources confirm the existence of another castle, situated near the parish church tower. Near Madrano was a small castle which was rebuilt in the late 13th Century by the Anexia family. Archaeological excavations conducted in 1995 inside the parish church of SS Nazaro Celso (first mentioned with a parish in 1224) discovered a construction history dating back the to 5th or 6th Centuries. The present building was given its form in 1879, though the church tower dates from the Roman era. At the train station there is the famous high-relief carving by Vincenzo Vela, devoted to the construction workers who lost their lives digging the Gotthard Rail Tunnel.

The modern municipality of Airolo is first mentioned in 1210 as Oriolo. In German it was known as Eriels and in Romansh as Iriel, though these names are no longer official.

The region of Airolo, which was politically tied to the fate of the Levantine valley, was divided into four Degagne; Madrano, Valle, Solario and Oro. In the 13th and 14th Century Airolo, which had always been the most populous village of the valley, supplied all the grain needed for the whole Levantine. Due to traffic on the Gotthard Pass, the village became wealthy from trade and housing travelers. There were four major hospices, of which two were on the pass.

During the Sonderbund war of 1847, Federal troops moved quickly to gain control of key alpine passes and prevent the Sonderbund from uniting. One of the key passes was the St. Gotthard, which led to the Battle of Airolo. Even before the diet began its campaign, the men of Uri seized the St. Gotthard passes (3 November 1847). They marched themselves across the
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