Campo (Vallemaggia)

Campo
Coat of arms
Campo Show map of Switzerland Campo Show map of Canton of Ticino
Location of Campo
Coordinates: 46°17′N 8°29′E / 46.283°N 8.483°E / 46.283; 8.483Coordinates: 46°17′N 8°29′E / 46.283°N 8.483°E / 46.283; 8.483
Country	Switzerland
Canton	Ticino
District	Vallemaggia
Government
• Mayor	Sindaco
Area
• Total	43.27 km2 (16.71 sq mi)
Elevation	1,321 m (4,334 ft)
Population (Dec 2015)
• Total	57
• Density	1.3/km2 (3.4/sq mi)
Postal code	6684
SFOS number	5307
Surrounded by	Bosco/Gurin, Cerentino, Cevio, Maggia, Montecrestese (IT-VB), Premia (IT-VB), Santa Maria Maggiore (IT-VB), Vergeletto
Website	www.campo.ch SFSO statistics

Campo is a municipality in the district of Vallemaggia in the canton of Ticino in Switzerland.

In the 15th century, the Valle di Campo along with Cevio, Bignasco and Cavergno formed the Roana Superior, a kind of administrative district. Until 1513, Campo belonged to the parish of Cevio. Cimalmotto and Niva separated from Campo's church in 1767 to form an independent parish. They also formed independent political municipalities until the beginning of the 19th century. The church of S. Bernardo in Campo was probably built in the 14th century. In the first half of the 16th century, in 1620 and 1740-45 it was enlarged. It contains frescoes by Giuseppe Mattia Borgnis (1745), who also worked on the churches of Cimalmotto and Niva, the Baroque chapel of San Giovanni and the facade of Palazzi Pedrazzini.

In the 17th and 18th Centuries, the lack of arable land caused a strong migratory flow toward Germany and Italy. Some of the residents, especially merchants and emigrants, became wealthy. Many of the village buildings were richly decorated with frescoes. At this time a wealthy and influential middle class emerged with political and religious power. Currently, a few families still work in agriculture. The majority of houses in the village are second homes. Even in the 18th century the area was popular as a holiday destination. Since 1850, the population has declined with many residents moving to the cities. The great distances (42 km (26 mi) from Locarno) and adverse road make it difficult for the village to become a commuter town.

The unfavorable geological conditions, exacerbated by reckless logging and resultant flooding caused numerous landslides since the beginning of the 19th century.

Campo has an area, as of 1997^[update], of 43.27 square kilometers (16.71 sq mi). Of this area, 1.07 km² (0.41 sq mi) or 2.5% is used for agricultural purposes, while 19.22 km² (7.42 sq mi) or 44.4% is forested. Of the rest of the land, 0.36 km² (0.14 sq mi) or 0.8% is settled (buildings or roads), 0.79 km² (0.31 sq mi) or 1.8% is either rivers or lakes and 17.21 km² (6.64 sq mi) or 39.8% is unproductive land. Of the built up area, housing and buildings made up 0.4% and transportation infrastructure made up 0.3%. Out of the forested land, 28.0% of the total land area is heavily forested, while 10.6% is covered in small trees and shrubbery and 5.8% is covered with orchards or small clusters of trees. Of the agricultural land, 2.1% is used for growing crops. Of the water in the municipality, 0.2% is in lakes and 1.7% is in rivers and streams. Of the unproductive areas, 19.3% is unproductive vegetation and 20.5% is too rocky for vegetation.