Reviving Swiss mountain communities – Is there a future for these isolated regions? | DW Documentary
Only about 650 people live year-round in the Onsernone Valley in Switzerland. Surrounded by picturesque but rugged nature, life here is not easy for the inhabitants. And one of the top priorities is ensuring the availability of medical care.
The road through the valley winds its way for 28 kilometers through narrow hairpin bends. Much of the area can only be reached on foot, and with considerable physical effort. There is no supermarket.
Above all, medical care must be guaranteed so that the valley remains attractive — for older people, but also for young families.
Josef “Beppe” Savary-Borioli, 72 years old and the valley’s long-time doctor, faces the difficult task of finding a successor. He develops a “doctor sharing” model, in which several doctors could share the care of the villagers. For a few months, the experienced mountain doctor is accompanied by young assistant from Locarno — will he be his successor?
There are young families looking for a slower pace of life who are happy to take on the challenges. But living space is scarce, as most of the approximately 1,200 houses in the valley are only used by their owners as vacation homes for a few weeks a year. Mike Keller, who was born in the valley, has returned with a mission: to find new families for the empty vacation homes.
Shaman Daniela Huber has moved to Berzona with her four-year-old son Atticus and his father Adrian to live in her grandmother’s house. She spent her summers here as a child. Berzona is one of the most beautiful villages in the Onsernone Valley, but outside the summer season Daniela feels lonely there. Together with Mike, she’s now trying to encourage like-minded individuals to follow her example, in a bid to revive the village.
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Video “Reviving Swiss mountain communities – Is there a future for these isolated regions? | DW Documentary” was uploaded on 12/14/2025 by DW Documentary Youtube channel.