Bosco Gurin

Bosco Gurin sits at about fifteen hundred metres at the head of a side valley off the Val Maggia, and it is a linguistic island: Walser families settled it in 1244, coming over the passes from the Val Formazza, and their German dialect - Gurinerdeutsch, or Ggurijnartitsch - has survived here in a canton that is otherwise entirely Italian-speaking. It is the highest village in Ticino and its only German-speaking commune. The houses are Walser type, stone below and timber above with slab roofs, and the Walserhaus museum explains the migration and the language. Speaker numbers are small and declining, which the village does not pretend otherwise. The road ends here; passes lead on foot into Italy's Val Formazza.

What's there

• A German-speaking island in Ticino - Walser dialect since 1244.
• Walser building - stone below, timber above, slab roofs.
• The Walserhaus museum - the migration and the language explained.
• The head of the valley - the road ends, passes continue on foot.

When to go

June to October, or the ski season. Half a day.

Things to know

The road up is narrow and long, and postbus services are few. The village is tiny with limited facilities. The dialect has few remaining speakers - this is a place of documented decline, not a living linguistic showcase. Winters are severe.

Nearby

Val Maggia runs down to Locarno; the passes to Italy's Val Formazza lie west on foot.

Key facts