Rovio
Encyclopedia
Rovio is a municipality
in the district of Lugano
in the canton
of Ticino
in Switzerland
.
Five fire pits from about 1000 BC were discovered within the municipal area, as well as remains from the Iron Age
and the Roman era
. In 1213 the Vicinanza
which included Rovio village came under the Pieve
of Riva San Vitale
. In 1517, the entire Pieve became part of the bailiwick
of Lugano. In 1798, it joined the short-lived Republic of Riva San Vitale.
It was part of the parish
of Riva San Vitale until 1213 when it became an independent parish. The parish church
of SS Vitale e Agata was first mentioned in that same year. Between the end of the 16th Century and 1613, it was rebuilt. The romanesque
Oratory
of San Vigilio was built in the first half of the 11th Century.
Agriculture, livestock and vineyards were the main sources of income. Due to lack of farming land, many residents also emigrated as construction workers and craftsmen. Since the 1960s many new houses have been built. In 2000, more than three quarters of workers in Rivio were commuters, with the majority going to Lugano
.
Of the built up area, housing and buildings made up 5.1% and transportation infrastructure made up 0.9%. Out of the forested land, 75.2% of the total land area is heavily forested and 3.4% is covered with orchards or small clusters of trees. Of the agricultural land, 3.8% is used for growing crops and 5.1% is used for alpine pastures. All the water in the municipality is flowing water. Of the unproductive areas, 6.1% is unproductive vegetation and 1.4% is too rocky for vegetation.
The municipality is located in the Lugano district, on the left side of the Valmara valley and includes the peak of Monte Generoso at an elevation of 1704 m (5,590.6 ft).
of the municipal coat of arms
is Or a cat rampnat guardant sable langued gules. The cat refers to the nickname given to the villagers.
Most of the population speaks Italian
(83.1%), with German
being second most common (11.9%) and Portuguese
being third (1.6%). Of the Swiss national languages , 80 speak German, 7 people speak French
, 559 people speak Italian, and 1 person speaks Romansh. The remainder (26 people) speak another language.
, the gender distribution of the population was 49.3% male and 50.7% female. The population was made up of 307 Swiss men (40.8% of the population), and 64 (8.5%) non-Swiss men. There were 332 Swiss women (44.1%), and 50 (6.6%) non-Swiss women.
In there were 9 live births to Swiss citizens and were 7 deaths of Swiss citizens. Ignoring immigration and emigration, the population of Swiss citizens increased by 2 while the foreign population remained the same. There were 5 Swiss men and 2 Swiss women who immigrated back to Switzerland. At the same time, there were 6 non-Swiss men and 5 non-Swiss women who immigrated from another country to Switzerland. The total Swiss population change in 2008 (from all sources, including moves across municipal borders) was an increase of 3 and the non-Swiss population change was an increase of 10 people. This represents a population growth rate of 1.7%.
The age distribution, , in Rovio is; 68 children or 9.0% of the population are between 0 and 9 years old and 75 teenagers or 10.0% are between 10 and 19. Of the adult population, 68 people or 9.0% of the population are between 20 and 29 years old. 96 people or 12.7% are between 30 and 39, 158 people or 21.0% are between 40 and 49, and 112 people or 14.9% are between 50 and 59. The senior population distribution is 85 people or 11.3% of the population are between 60 and 69 years old, 57 people or 7.6% are between 70 and 79, there are 34 people or 4.5% who are over 80.
the average number of residents per living room was 0.57 which is about equal to the cantonal average of 0.6 per room. In this case, a room is defined as space of a housing unit of at least 4 m² (43.1 sq ft) as normal bedrooms, dining rooms, living rooms, kitchens and habitable cellars and attics. About 53% of the total households were owner occupied, or in other words did not pay rent (though they may have a mortgage
or a rent-to-own agreement).
, there were 281 private households in the municipality, and an average of 2.3 persons per household. there were 209 single family homes (or 72.6% of the total) out of a total of 288 inhabited buildings. There were 39 two family buildings (13.5%) and 36 multi-family buildings (12.5%). There were also 4 buildings in the municipality that were multipurpose buildings (used for both housing and commercial or another purpose).
The vacancy rate for the municipality, , was 0%. there were 449 apartments in the municipality. The most common apartment size was the 5 room apartment of which there were 136. There were 21 single room apartments and 136 apartments with five or more rooms. Of these apartments, a total of 281 apartments (62.6% of the total) were permanently occupied, while 163 apartments (36.3%) were seasonally occupied and 5 apartments (1.1%) were empty. , the construction rate of new housing units was 2.7 new units per 1000 residents.
The historical population is given in the following chart:
. The entire village of Rovio is part of the Inventory of Swiss Heritage Sites
.
the most popular party was the SP
which received 33.24% of the vote. The next three most popular parties were the FDP
(18%), the Ticino League
(17.01%) and the CVP
(11.8%). In the federal election, a total of 289 votes were cast, and the voter turnout
was 54.7%.
In the Gran Consiglio election, there were a total of 521 registered voters in Rovio, of which 359 or 68.9% voted. 3 blank ballots were cast, leaving 356 valid ballots in the election. The most popular party was the PS
which received 111 or 31.2% of the vote. The next three most popular parties were; the PLRT
(with 58 or 16.3%), the LEGA
(with 53 or 14.9%) and the SSI (with 51 or 14.3%).
In the Consiglio di Stato election, 1 blank ballot and 2 null ballots were cast, leaving 356 valid ballots in the election. The most popular party was the PS which received 128 or 36.0% of the vote. The next three most popular parties were; the LEGA (with 76 or 21.3%), the PLRT (with 59 or 16.6%) and the SSI (with 45 or 12.6%).
, there were 42 workers who commuted into the municipality and 260 workers who commuted away. The municipality is a net exporter of workers, with about 6.2 workers leaving the municipality for every one entering. About 23.8% of the workforce coming into Rovio are coming from outside Switzerland. Of the working population, 6.7% used public transportation to get to work, and 71.1% used a private car.
, there was one hotel in Rovio.
. There are 92 individuals (or about 13.67% of the population) who belong to another church (not listed on the census), and 28 individuals (or about 4.16% of the population) did not answer the question.
).
In Rovio there were a total of 126 students . The Ticino education system
provides up to three years of non-mandatory kindergarten
and in Rovio there were 22 children in kindergarten. The primary school program lasts for five years and includes both a standard school and a special school. In the municipality, 42 students attended the standard primary schools and 1 student attended the special school. In the lower secondary school system, students either attend a two year middle school followed by a two year pre-apprenticeship or they attend a four year program to prepare for higher education. There were 32 students in the two year middle school and 1 in their pre-apprenticeship, while 9 students were in the four year advanced program.
The upper secondary school includes several options, but at the end of the upper secondary program, a student will be prepared to enter a trade or to continue on to a university or college. In Ticino, vocational students may either attend school while working on their internship or apprenticeship (which takes three or four years) or may attend school followed by an internship or apprenticeship (which takes one year as a full-time student or one and a half to two years as a part-time student). There were 3 vocational students who were attending school full-time and 14 who attend part-time.
The professional program lasts three years and prepares a student for a job in engineering, nursing, computer science, business, tourism and similar fields. There were 2 students in the professional program.
, there were 52 students from Rovio who attended schools outside the municipality.
Municipalities of Switzerland
Communes , also known as municipalities, are the smallest government division in Switzerland, numbering 2,596 . While many have a population of a few hundred citizens, the largest cities such as Zürich or Geneva also have the legal status of municipalities...
in the district of Lugano
Lugano (district)
The district of Lugano is a district of Canton Ticino, Switzerland. It has a population of .-Geography:The Lugano District has an area, , of . Of this area, or 15.7% is used for agricultural purposes, while or 66.5% is forested...
in the canton
Cantons of Switzerland
The 26 cantons of Switzerland are the member states of the federal state of Switzerland. Each canton was a fully sovereign state with its own borders, army and currency from the Treaty of Westphalia until the establishment of the Swiss federal state in 1848...
of Ticino
Ticino
Canton Ticino or Ticino is the southernmost canton of Switzerland. Named after the Ticino river, it is the only canton in which Italian is the sole official language...
in Switzerland
Switzerland
Switzerland name of one of the Swiss cantons. ; ; ; or ), in its full name the Swiss Confederation , is a federal republic consisting of 26 cantons, with Bern as the seat of the federal authorities. The country is situated in Western Europe,Or Central Europe depending on the definition....
.
History
Rovio is first mentioned in 852 as Rovi.Five fire pits from about 1000 BC were discovered within the municipal area, as well as remains from the Iron Age
Iron Age
The Iron Age is the archaeological period generally occurring after the Bronze Age, marked by the prevalent use of iron. The early period of the age is characterized by the widespread use of iron or steel. The adoption of such material coincided with other changes in society, including differing...
and the Roman era
Switzerland in the Roman era
The history of Switzerland in the Roman era encompasses the roughly six centuries during which the territory of modern Switzerland was a part of the Roman Republic and Empire...
. In 1213 the Vicinanza
Bürgergemeinde
The Bürgergemeinde is a statutory corporation in public law in Switzerland...
which included Rovio village came under the Pieve
Pieve
In the Middle Ages, a pieve was a rural church with a baptistery, upon which other churches without baptisteries depended.The Italian word pieve is descended from Latin plebs which, after the expansion of Christianity in Italy, was applied to the community of baptized people...
of Riva San Vitale
Riva San Vitale
Riva San Vitale is a municipality in the canton of Ticino in Switzerland, located in the district of Mendrisio.Riva San Vitale is also the home of the Virginia Tech Center for European Studies and Architecture , the European campus center and base of operations for the regional activities of...
. In 1517, the entire Pieve became part of the bailiwick
Bailiwick
A bailiwick is usually the area of jurisdiction of a bailiff, and may also apply to a territory in which the sheriff's functions were exercised by a privately appointed bailiff under a royal or imperial writ. The word is now more generally used in a metaphorical sense, to indicate a sphere of...
of Lugano. In 1798, it joined the short-lived Republic of Riva San Vitale.
It was part of the parish
Parish
A parish is a territorial unit historically under the pastoral care and clerical jurisdiction of one parish priest, who might be assisted in his pastoral duties by a curate or curates - also priests but not the parish priest - from a more or less central parish church with its associated organization...
of Riva San Vitale until 1213 when it became an independent parish. The parish church
Parish church
A parish church , in Christianity, is the church which acts as the religious centre of a parish, the basic administrative unit of episcopal churches....
of SS Vitale e Agata was first mentioned in that same year. Between the end of the 16th Century and 1613, it was rebuilt. The romanesque
Romanesque architecture
Romanesque architecture is an architectural style of Medieval Europe characterised by semi-circular arches. There is no consensus for the beginning date of the Romanesque architecture, with proposals ranging from the 6th to the 10th century. It developed in the 12th century into the Gothic style,...
Oratory
Oratory (worship)
An oratory is a Christian room for prayer, from the Latin orare, to pray.-Catholic church:In the Roman Catholic Church, an oratory is a structure other than a parish church, set aside by ecclesiastical authority for prayer and the celebration of Mass...
of San Vigilio was built in the first half of the 11th Century.
Agriculture, livestock and vineyards were the main sources of income. Due to lack of farming land, many residents also emigrated as construction workers and craftsmen. Since the 1960s many new houses have been built. In 2000, more than three quarters of workers in Rivio were commuters, with the majority going to Lugano
Lugano
Lugano is a city of inhabitants in the city proper and a total of over 145,000 people in the agglomeration/city region, in the south of Switzerland, in the Italian-speaking canton of Ticino, which borders Italy...
.
Geography
Rovio has an area, , of 5.53 square kilometres (2.1 sq mi). Of this area, 0.52 km² (0.200773122468118 sq mi) or 9.4% is used for agricultural purposes, while 4.35 km² (1.7 sq mi) or 78.7% is forested. Of the rest of the land, 0.35 km² (0.135135755507387 sq mi) or 6.3% is settled (buildings or roads), 0.01 km² (2.5 acre) or 0.2% is either rivers or lakes and 0.42 km² (0.162162906608865 sq mi) or 7.6% is unproductive land.Of the built up area, housing and buildings made up 5.1% and transportation infrastructure made up 0.9%. Out of the forested land, 75.2% of the total land area is heavily forested and 3.4% is covered with orchards or small clusters of trees. Of the agricultural land, 3.8% is used for growing crops and 5.1% is used for alpine pastures. All the water in the municipality is flowing water. Of the unproductive areas, 6.1% is unproductive vegetation and 1.4% is too rocky for vegetation.
The municipality is located in the Lugano district, on the left side of the Valmara valley and includes the peak of Monte Generoso at an elevation of 1704 m (5,590.6 ft).
Coat of arms
The blazonBlazon
In heraldry and heraldic vexillology, a blazon is a formal description of a coat of arms, flag or similar emblem, from which the reader can reconstruct the appropriate image...
of the municipal coat of arms
Coat of arms
A coat of arms is a unique heraldic design on a shield or escutcheon or on a surcoat or tabard used to cover and protect armour and to identify the wearer. Thus the term is often stated as "coat-armour", because it was anciently displayed on the front of a coat of cloth...
is Or a cat rampnat guardant sable langued gules. The cat refers to the nickname given to the villagers.
Demographics
Rovio has a population of . , 16.0% of the population are resident foreign nationals. Over the last 10 years (1997–2007) the population has changed at a rate of 18.5%.Most of the population speaks Italian
Italian language
Italian is a Romance language spoken mainly in Europe: Italy, Switzerland, San Marino, Vatican City, by minorities in Malta, Monaco, Croatia, Slovenia, France, Libya, Eritrea, and Somalia, and by immigrant communities in the Americas and Australia...
(83.1%), with German
German language
German is a West Germanic language, related to and classified alongside English and Dutch. With an estimated 90 – 98 million native speakers, German is one of the world's major languages and is the most widely-spoken first language in the European Union....
being second most common (11.9%) and Portuguese
Portuguese language
Portuguese is a Romance language that arose in the medieval Kingdom of Galicia, nowadays Galicia and Northern Portugal. The southern part of the Kingdom of Galicia became independent as the County of Portugal in 1095...
being third (1.6%). Of the Swiss national languages , 80 speak German, 7 people speak French
French language
French is a Romance language spoken as a first language in France, the Romandy region in Switzerland, Wallonia and Brussels in Belgium, Monaco, the regions of Quebec and Acadia in Canada, and by various communities elsewhere. Second-language speakers of French are distributed throughout many parts...
, 559 people speak Italian, and 1 person speaks Romansh. The remainder (26 people) speak another language.
, the gender distribution of the population was 49.3% male and 50.7% female. The population was made up of 307 Swiss men (40.8% of the population), and 64 (8.5%) non-Swiss men. There were 332 Swiss women (44.1%), and 50 (6.6%) non-Swiss women.
In there were 9 live births to Swiss citizens and were 7 deaths of Swiss citizens. Ignoring immigration and emigration, the population of Swiss citizens increased by 2 while the foreign population remained the same. There were 5 Swiss men and 2 Swiss women who immigrated back to Switzerland. At the same time, there were 6 non-Swiss men and 5 non-Swiss women who immigrated from another country to Switzerland. The total Swiss population change in 2008 (from all sources, including moves across municipal borders) was an increase of 3 and the non-Swiss population change was an increase of 10 people. This represents a population growth rate of 1.7%.
The age distribution, , in Rovio is; 68 children or 9.0% of the population are between 0 and 9 years old and 75 teenagers or 10.0% are between 10 and 19. Of the adult population, 68 people or 9.0% of the population are between 20 and 29 years old. 96 people or 12.7% are between 30 and 39, 158 people or 21.0% are between 40 and 49, and 112 people or 14.9% are between 50 and 59. The senior population distribution is 85 people or 11.3% of the population are between 60 and 69 years old, 57 people or 7.6% are between 70 and 79, there are 34 people or 4.5% who are over 80.
the average number of residents per living room was 0.57 which is about equal to the cantonal average of 0.6 per room. In this case, a room is defined as space of a housing unit of at least 4 m² (43.1 sq ft) as normal bedrooms, dining rooms, living rooms, kitchens and habitable cellars and attics. About 53% of the total households were owner occupied, or in other words did not pay rent (though they may have a mortgage
Mortgage loan
A mortgage loan is a loan secured by real property through the use of a mortgage note which evidences the existence of the loan and the encumbrance of that realty through the granting of a mortgage which secures the loan...
or a rent-to-own agreement).
, there were 281 private households in the municipality, and an average of 2.3 persons per household. there were 209 single family homes (or 72.6% of the total) out of a total of 288 inhabited buildings. There were 39 two family buildings (13.5%) and 36 multi-family buildings (12.5%). There were also 4 buildings in the municipality that were multipurpose buildings (used for both housing and commercial or another purpose).
The vacancy rate for the municipality, , was 0%. there were 449 apartments in the municipality. The most common apartment size was the 5 room apartment of which there were 136. There were 21 single room apartments and 136 apartments with five or more rooms. Of these apartments, a total of 281 apartments (62.6% of the total) were permanently occupied, while 163 apartments (36.3%) were seasonally occupied and 5 apartments (1.1%) were empty. , the construction rate of new housing units was 2.7 new units per 1000 residents.
The historical population is given in the following chart:
Heritage sites of national significance
The oratory of S. Vigilio is listed as a Swiss heritage site of national significanceSwiss Inventory of Cultural Property of National and Regional Significance
The Swiss Inventory of Cultural Property of National and Regional Significance is a register of some 8,300 items of cultural property in Switzerland...
. The entire village of Rovio is part of the Inventory of Swiss Heritage Sites
Inventory of Swiss Heritage Sites
The Inventory of Swiss Heritage Sites is part of a 1981 Ordinance of the Swiss Federal Council implementing the Federal Law on the Protection of Nature and Cultural Heritage.-Sites of national importance:-Types:...
.
Politics
In the 2007 federal electionSwiss federal election, 2007
Elections to the Swiss Federal Assembly, the federal parliament of Switzerland, were held on Sunday, 21 October 2007. In a few cantons, a second round of the elections to the Council of States was held on 11 November, 18 November, and 25 November 2007...
the most popular party was the SP
Social Democratic Party of Switzerland
The Social Democratic Party of Switzerland is the largest centre-left political party in Switzerland....
which received 33.24% of the vote. The next three most popular parties were the FDP
FDP.The Liberals
FDP.The Liberals is a classical liberal political party in Switzerland. It is the joint-largest party in the Federal Council, third-largest party in the National Council, and second-largest in the Council of States....
(18%), the Ticino League
Ticino League
The Ticino League is an isolationist, national conservative political party in Switzerland active in the canton of Ticino.In 1991, after some public campaigning in the Sunday journal Mattino della Domenica against political power and use of public money, the editor Giuliano Bignasca and the...
(17.01%) and the CVP
Christian Democratic People's Party of Switzerland
The Christian Democratic People's Party of Switzerland is a Christian democratic political party in Switzerland. It is the fourth-largest party in the National Council, with 31 seats, and the largest in the Council of States, with 15 seats. It has one seat, that of Doris Leuthard, on the Swiss...
(11.8%). In the federal election, a total of 289 votes were cast, and the voter turnout
Voter turnout
Voter turnout is the percentage of eligible voters who cast a ballot in an election . After increasing for many decades, there has been a trend of decreasing voter turnout in most established democracies since the 1960s...
was 54.7%.
In the Gran Consiglio election, there were a total of 521 registered voters in Rovio, of which 359 or 68.9% voted. 3 blank ballots were cast, leaving 356 valid ballots in the election. The most popular party was the PS
Social Democratic Party of Switzerland
The Social Democratic Party of Switzerland is the largest centre-left political party in Switzerland....
which received 111 or 31.2% of the vote. The next three most popular parties were; the PLRT
FDP.The Liberals
FDP.The Liberals is a classical liberal political party in Switzerland. It is the joint-largest party in the Federal Council, third-largest party in the National Council, and second-largest in the Council of States....
(with 58 or 16.3%), the LEGA
Ticino League
The Ticino League is an isolationist, national conservative political party in Switzerland active in the canton of Ticino.In 1991, after some public campaigning in the Sunday journal Mattino della Domenica against political power and use of public money, the editor Giuliano Bignasca and the...
(with 53 or 14.9%) and the SSI (with 51 or 14.3%).
In the Consiglio di Stato election, 1 blank ballot and 2 null ballots were cast, leaving 356 valid ballots in the election. The most popular party was the PS which received 128 or 36.0% of the vote. The next three most popular parties were; the LEGA (with 76 or 21.3%), the PLRT (with 59 or 16.6%) and the SSI (with 45 or 12.6%).
Economy
, Rovio had an unemployment rate of 3.31%. , there were 9 people employed in the primary economic sector and about 3 businesses involved in this sector. 13 people were employed in the secondary sector and there were 5 businesses in this sector. 61 people were employed in the tertiary sector, with 16 businesses in this sector. There were 342 residents of the municipality who were employed in some capacity, of which females made up 40.6% of the workforce., there were 42 workers who commuted into the municipality and 260 workers who commuted away. The municipality is a net exporter of workers, with about 6.2 workers leaving the municipality for every one entering. About 23.8% of the workforce coming into Rovio are coming from outside Switzerland. Of the working population, 6.7% used public transportation to get to work, and 71.1% used a private car.
, there was one hotel in Rovio.
Religion
From the , 498 or 74.0% were Roman Catholic, while 55 or 8.2% belonged to the Swiss Reformed ChurchSwiss Reformed Church
The Reformed branch of Protestantism in Switzerland was started in Zürich by Huldrych Zwingli and spread within a few years to Basel , Bern , St...
. There are 92 individuals (or about 13.67% of the population) who belong to another church (not listed on the census), and 28 individuals (or about 4.16% of the population) did not answer the question.
Education
In Rovio about 78.5% of the population (between age 25-64) have completed either non-mandatory upper secondary education or additional higher education (either university or a FachhochschuleFachhochschule
A Fachhochschule or University of Applied Sciences is a German type of tertiary education institution, sometimes specialized in certain topical areas . Fachhochschulen were founded in Germany and later adopted by Austria, Liechtenstein, Switzerland and Greece...
).
In Rovio there were a total of 126 students . The Ticino education system
Education in Switzerland
The education system in Switzerland is very diverse, because the constitution of Switzerland delegates the authority for the school system mainly to the cantons...
provides up to three years of non-mandatory kindergarten
Kindergarten
A kindergarten is a preschool educational institution for children. The term was created by Friedrich Fröbel for the play and activity institute that he created in 1837 in Bad Blankenburg as a social experience for children for their transition from home to school...
and in Rovio there were 22 children in kindergarten. The primary school program lasts for five years and includes both a standard school and a special school. In the municipality, 42 students attended the standard primary schools and 1 student attended the special school. In the lower secondary school system, students either attend a two year middle school followed by a two year pre-apprenticeship or they attend a four year program to prepare for higher education. There were 32 students in the two year middle school and 1 in their pre-apprenticeship, while 9 students were in the four year advanced program.
The upper secondary school includes several options, but at the end of the upper secondary program, a student will be prepared to enter a trade or to continue on to a university or college. In Ticino, vocational students may either attend school while working on their internship or apprenticeship (which takes three or four years) or may attend school followed by an internship or apprenticeship (which takes one year as a full-time student or one and a half to two years as a part-time student). There were 3 vocational students who were attending school full-time and 14 who attend part-time.
The professional program lasts three years and prepares a student for a job in engineering, nursing, computer science, business, tourism and similar fields. There were 2 students in the professional program.
, there were 52 students from Rovio who attended schools outside the municipality.