Vezio is a village and former municipality in the canton of Ticino, 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....

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In 2005 the municipality was merged with the other, neighboring municipalities Arosio

Arosio, Switzerland

Arosio is a village and former municipality in the canton of Ticino, Switzerland.In 2005 the municipality was merged with the other, neighboring municipalities Breno, Fescoggia, Mugena and Vezio to form a new and larger municipality Alto Malcantone.-History:...

, Breno

Breno, Ticino

Breno is a village and former municipality in the canton of Ticino, Switzerland.In 2005 the municipality was merged with the other, neighboring municipalities Arosio, Fescoggia, Mugena and Vezio to form a new and larger municipality Alto Malcantone.-History:...

, Fescoggia

Fescoggia

Fescoggia is a village and former municipality in the canton of Ticino, Switzerland.In 2005 the municipality was merged with the other, neighboring municipalities Arosio, Breno, Mugena and Vezio to form a new and larger municipality Alto Malcantone.-History:...

 and Mugena

Mugena

Mugena is a village and former municipality in the canton of Ticino, Switzerland.In 2005 the municipality was merged with the other, neighboring municipalities Arosio, Breno, Fescoggia and Vezio to form a new and larger municipality Alto Malcantone.-History:...

 to form a new and larger municipality Alto Malcantone

Alto Malcantone

Alto Malcantone is a municipality in the district of Lugano in the canton of Ticino in Switzerland. It was formed on 13 March 2005 from the earlier municipalities of Arosio, Breno, Fescoggia, Mugena and Vezio.-History:...

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History

Vezio is first mentioned in 1355 as Vecio'.

In the Early Middle Ages

Early Middle Ages

The Early Middle Ages was the period of European history lasting from the 5th century to approximately 1000. The Early Middle Ages followed the decline of the Western Roman Empire and preceded the High Middle Ages...

, the Bishop

Roman Catholic Diocese of Como

The Catholic diocese of Como, in northern Italy, has existed since the fourth century. It is a suffragan of the archdiocese of Milan. The bishops' seat is in Como Cathedral....

 and monastery of St. Abbondio in Como

Como

Como is a city and comune in Lombardy, Italy.It is the administrative capital of the Province of Como....

 owned property and rights in Vezio. 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 Breno until 1626, when it became part of the Mugena parish. It was established in 1684 as a vice-parish.

The parish church of St. Bartholomew was built in 1745 on the grounds at an former building, which dates from 1444. Inside the church there are fine stucco

Stucco

Stucco or render is a material made of an aggregate, a binder, and water. Stucco is applied wet and hardens to a very dense solid. It is used as decorative coating for walls and ceilings and as a sculptural and artistic material in architecture...

 by artists from the Malcantone Valley.

Until the Second World War there was a strong migration of construction workers to jobs outside Switzerland. Until the late 19th century, part of the population seasonally migrated

Transhumance in the Alps

Transhumance in the Alps, or seasonal migration between valley and high pastures is a traditional practice that has shaped much of the landscape in the Alps, as without it, most areas below 2000 m would be forests.While tourism and industry contribute today much to Alpine economy, seasonal...

to the eastern slopes of the mountains of S. Maria and Cervello. In the early 20th Century a small hydroelectric plant was built near the village.

Historic population

The historical population is given in the following table:

Year	Population Vezio
1670	194
1801	171
1850	273
1990	171