THE LAST REAL VILLAGE SHOP
Local products, authentic flavours, one community
At Casa Moretti in Prato Sornico…
Open every day, 24/7
Night-time self-service · Home delivery…
To open the door, scan the QR code and follow the instructions.
Door closing times: from 21:00 in the evening until 06:00 the following day.
open every day
24 hours a day
7 days a week (self-service)
“LA BOTEGA DA LA LAVIZZARA”
We would like to thank in advance anyone who finds the time and energy to read our presentation; for us, this is not just about financial plans, tables, calculations or anything of the sort, but about an entirely female-led project, from the very beginning right up to today.
A project that speaks of a valley that wants to live, of a valley that keeps pace with the new times in order to keep rising again, and still believes in repopulation. A valley that remembers its history and does not want to forget it, wants to pass it on to the new generations and wants to write more of it. A valley of people who emigrated, of people who came from elsewhere, of people who fell in love with it and never left. A valley with rivers, mountains, alpine pastures, excellent cheeses of every kind, green pastures, livestock and wildlife, breathtaking blue skies and starry nights like no others, far from city lights. A dynamic valley where there are important activities: from metal construction to transport companies, from marble quarrying to the school of sculpture; building contractors, carpenters, mechanics, coachbuilders and even a company that produces harnesses for guide dogs, the only one in Switzerland. Farmers who comb the mountains and make them even more beautiful; women who work and are mothers, who do not give up, who run down to the city for every need, but want to raise their children in the valley, even knowing that perhaps one day, when grown, their children will leave to study or work, but with the hope that sooner or later they will return. Of grandfathers and grandmothers who tell of the valley as it once was in front of a lit fireplace with cicitt sizzling on the fire, who dig the vegetable gardens, who do not forget the moons, who teach them to us, who remember the sayings; they tell of the valley’s evolution, and perhaps it is also to them that we owe our determination not to give up, because even with bent backs and aches and pains, they never quit.
A valley that can be raw and harsh, but which, with the return of each spring, can offer magnificent landscapes and emotions to every tourist and to the inhabitants of the villages clinging among terraces and rocky ridges. A valley that rejoices and hopes with every birth; hopes for its primary school, hopes for its nursery school, for the restaurant, for the post office, for the cash machine, for the little grotto; for everything that strives so hard to survive and, why not, hopes and believes in the shop “La Botega da la Lavizzara”.
So, with that said, happy reading, and thank you all for any kind of support.
The team:
- Astrid Lorenzetti-Richina
- Tanya Scolla
- Laura Poncia Andreoli
The co-founders:
- Foresti Claudio
- Maya Poncini
- Dayana Franscella
- Lauro Rotanzi.
History of Casa Moretti and the Shop Premises
La Cá di Còti
La Cá di Moretti
In the village of Sornico, right on the cantonal road, stands Casa Moretti in all its majesty, framed by the mountains of Pizzo Ruscada, Corona Redorta and Monte Zucchero. An enormous pink house built in the seventeenth century.
Initially, it was the home of Doctor Pelloni; indeed, the southern side of the house is decorated with the Pelloni family coat of arms, and there is also a large doorway bearing the date 1641. Later, the house was inhabited by the Cotti family (1756-1849), who moved to Locarno during the nineteenth century. Provost Michele Cotti (1802-1882) also lived there; his heirs sold all the properties they owned in Sornico. The house was purchased in 1900 by Provino Moretti (1874-1951) of Linescio, hence its current name, Casa Moretti. (V. Chiesa 1984: LXXI).
On the north side, the house defines the edge of the square and borders the road that passes through the village (photo 1). The house consists of two adjoining sections built in different years. The rear part is connected by an overhead passageway to the Cá da Tambina; beside the old entrance, on whose lintel the date 1634 is carved, there is a frescoed niche depicting a Madonna and Child and St John. Also on the southern side, in addition to the Pelloni coat of arms, we find caryatids painted around the windows, simple faux corner rustication and an inscription reading: “ESTO HIRUNDO PROCUL ANO 164…”, “TO BE A SWALLOW AT A DISTANCE YEAR 164…”. The central part of the building, on the north and west sides, bears the date 1626 and has windows framed by sgraffito. The façade facing the road has undergone alterations and additions; in the past it had a large opening beneath which carriages and horses could be sheltered, where the premises of the shop La Botega da la Lavizzara now stand. Inside, the large house is served by two flights of stairs and still preserves a spacious room with a vaulted ceiling decorated with Baroque-style stucco (photo 5). The south wing was equipped with a well for drawing water, while at the front there stretched a vegetable garden, later partly occupied by small buildings and storage areas. When, in 1900, the house passed to the Moretti family, it became an inn with accommodation; in place of the vegetable garden, a bocce court and a dance floor were built.
The shop, as already mentioned, occupies the spaces that were once used as the old stables (photo 2), which later served as a dairy. In 2007 Astrid Lorenzetti-Richina, the new heiress of the house, renovated the premises, turning them into a shop selling food and basic necessities. The two adjoining cellars, once used for ageing cheese, are now an integral part of the shop. They have been left in their original state, with walls blackened by smoke and time; in these original spaces, customers find fruit, vegetables, cheese, wines and the chance to immerse themselves, for a moment, in the past.
[1] Text taken from “Repertorio Toponomastico Ticinese” pp. 188-189
From 2007 to 2009 Astrid Lorenzetti-Richina ran the shop, from 2009 to 2012 it was run by Grandma “Paola”, Astrid’s mother, from 2012 to 2021 by Fabrizia Sandrini and from 2021 to 2023 by Anna Pedemonte.
Why a shop in the valley…
The question might arise quite naturally, and so might the answer…because it is convenient, because it is vital, because it brings life, because it is a meeting place; what are a mountain village and a Swiss valley without their village shop?
In the shop, in the morning you can find fresh bread, chat with local people, get to know someone, help someone—perhaps an elderly person who needs to understand the new automated checkout, while the shop assistant is busy with a tourist asking for information about somewhere to visit or which local product to buy.
Children can go on their own to get an ice cream, a worker can go there to make a sandwich or warm up their “schiscetta”, a mum with the children can do the shopping while out on her morning walk, and take the opportunity to meet up with another mum and continue the walk. It’s 20:00 in the evening and you’ve run out of milk? Brilliant: La Botega in Sornico is open, yes, because it will be open 24 hours a day, and just as people go up the Maggia Valley and the Val Lavizzara to buy local produce from the farmers’ self-service points, they will come up to get whatever they are missing, because here we are open.
Thus, building on all this and on more besides that one can imagine, and on the idea conceived by the most recent manager, Anna Pedemonte, the cooperative La Botega da la Lavizzara was established on 8 March 2024, a date that was, of course, no coincidence.
La Botega da la Lavizzara aims, as already mentioned above, to offer an innovative approach to commerce, focusing on extended opening hours 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, self-service thanks to a special automatic Bill till, which allows customers to shop independently, products at prices affordable for everyone, zero-mile local products, Ticino products, fruit and vegetables, fresh bread, essential goods and a small organic range.
La Botega da la Lavizzara will offer one full-time equivalent position, divided among 2–3 shop assistants, ensuring a presence of 3–4 hours per day, as well as a secretary and a bookkeeper.
In conclusion, the “La Botega da la Lavizzara” Co-operative Society aims to offer a service to the valley community, as well as to tourists, to create a social meeting point for people of all ages, from the oldest to the youngest, creating synergies with other local stakeholders such as restaurants, alpine pastures, organisations, associations and mountain huts… with projects already existing in the area and future projects.
The shop today…
As it stands today, following the renovation carried out in 2006/2007 by the current owner Astrid Lorenzetti-Richina, who is also president of the Cooperative, the shop is laid out as shown in the floor plan[1], with an entrance door with a compliant opening (opening outwards), and a room on the left with product shelves, a sink with hot and cold water and an adjoining cabinet; the Bill automatic checkout will be installed in this room. Completing the shop premises, on the right, are the two ancient cellars, still in their original state, very attractive for tourists to see as well as for storing fruit, vegetables and other items. The first is furnished with shelves and wooden shelving units with wicker baskets for fruit and vegetables; the second is fitted with storage shelves for keeping cheeses, wines and drinks.
The current obsolete refrigerated display cabinet, which results in high electricity consumption costs, will be replaced with a new upright display cabinet for food products and chilled drinks.
In addition, a freezer will be purchased for meat, bread and various other items.
The ice-cream freezer will be provided free of charge by the service provider.
The two fridges in the cellar will be used, if needed, as storage for the mountain huts or for other purposes.
The rent will be Fr. 450.- per month for the shop, the Baroque hall and a storage room. The contract will be valid for 10 years
Future projects
While waiting to open the shop, as well as investing time in fundraising and all the paperwork that comes with it, we are also thinking about future projects that tie in with projects already existing in the valley or provide an additional service to customers.
Here are a few ideas:
- Information point
- Internet café (in the shop or in the Baroque Room)
- Workshops e.g. ceramics courses for adults and children (in the Baroque Room)
- Bicycle hire
- Grand Tour of Switzerland
- Laundry service for tourists and locals alike
- …feedback from customers, members…
All of this could be of value both to the people who live in the valley and to tourism; these activities will enrich what is already present in the area.
The motorhome area opposite the shop will bring customers to the Bottega and they will be able to take advantage of the services, the info point will be useful for tourists and useful for La Botega as a point of contact, the laundry service for the motorhome area or tourists, or even a local with a washing machine out of order,…
All of this could be of value both to people living in the valley and to tourism; these activities will enrich what is already present in the area.
The camper van area opposite the shop will bring customers to the Bottega and they will be able to take advantage of the services, the info point will be useful for tourists and useful for La Botega as a point of contact, the laundry service for the camper van area or tourists, or even a local with a washing machine out of order,…
The Baroque hall only needs to be cleaned and prepared; the internet connection will already be active for the Bill till, and the two washing machines are already on site; therefore, no additional costs will be generated, but it will bring in revenue.
Rear side adjoining the Cà da Tambina, where there is a fresco of the Madonna.
In the centre, the Cà dei Sgiüméi
Shop entrance
