Livigno

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Livigno

Country	Italy
Region	Lombardy
Province	Province of Sondrio (SO)
Mayor	Attilio Lionello Silvestri (since 2001)

Elevation	1,816 m
Area	211 km²
Population
- Total (as of 2004)	5200
- Density	25/km²
Time zone	CET, UTC+1
Coordinates	46°32′N 10°08′E
Gentilic	livignasc
Dialing code	0342
Postal code	23030
Frazioni	Trepalle
Patron	Holy Mary / Saint Anna (for Trepalle)
- Day	8th September / 21st July (for Trepalle)
Location of Livigno in Italy
Website: www.comune.livigno.so.it

Livigno is a town in the Alps. It belongs to the province of Sondrio, in the region of Lombardy, Italy.

1 Geography
2 History
3 Main sights
4 Tax haven
5 Economy
6 Culture/Sport
7 Prominent people from Livigno
8 External links

[edit] Geography

It is located at 1,816 metres above sea level. Livigno's main river is called Akua Granda, also known as Spöl. Trepalle, which belongs to Livigno, is considered Europe's highest inhabited parish.

A part of the old village was completely destroyed in the 1960s by the creation of an artificial lake (see Akua Granda).

[edit] History

It seems that Livigno's first settlers were shepherds during the Middle Ages. The first documents called this area "vinea et vineola". This Latin name does not refer to the presence of vineyard in the area, but it comes from the German language, meaning "avalanche". The valley has always been at risk from this point of view. The last avalanche hitting the village was in 1951, which caused a 7 deaths and damage to a dozen houses. The other main event was the building of a dam, in the 1960s (see above). Politically, Livigno has always followed Bormio's history, although the relationships between the two communes have always been tense, Bormio being prevalent and more populated than Livigno. Until the 1970s Livigno was a farming village. In the last decades, though, things have changed, and nowadays Livigno enjoys a better economic situation an a higher number of inhabitants. Livigno has recently enjoyed one of Italy's highest birth rates (19.4 births per 1000 inhabitants) [1] Livigno's economy is based on tourism, both in winter and in summer, and on its duty-free status, with goods sold at bargain prices. Building companies, craftsmen industry and agriculture are somehow developed, but all these sectors are somehow linked to the main source of income.

[edit] Main sights

Saint Mary's parish church was built at the end of the 19th C, on a previous church. The current building incorporated the previous one, which was left standing until the end of works, allowing church services to be carried out as usual. Other relevant buildings are the Caravaggio church, with some ex voto paintings and a picture which is traditionally attributed to Caravaggio and Saint Rocco church, built at the beginning of 16th C as a votive offering for protecting the village against plague. Other sights are represented by the breathtaking panorama, with high peaked mountains and marvellous valleys.

[edit] Tax haven

Livigno enjoys a particular tax status as duty-free area. Italian VAT is not paid. Although tax advantages for Livigno were recorded as far back as the sixteenth century, the current VAT exemption was introduced by the Austro-Hungarian Empire around 1840. It then was confirmed by the Kingdom of Italy around 1910, then by the Italian Republic and the EEC in 1960.

The reason for such a status is justified by the difficulty in reaching Livigno during winter times, for up to six months a year, and the century-long history of poverty in the region. The various states, therefore, wanted to make sure people would have an incentive to continue living in the area (so that they could still claim it territorially); at the same time, the tax income from Livigno was likely negligible for any state involved.

Even nowadays, only three roads lead to the town, two from Switzerland, through the Forcola pass (2,315 m, open in summer only) and the Munt La Schera tunnel, and one from Italy, through the Foscagno pass (2,291 m). However, given the astonishing increase in wealth of the recent decades, the improvement of roads and the widespread availability of cars, many outsiders see this exemption as an unjustified privilege, although it has created and sustains several hundreds of jobs.

[edit] Economy

Livigno once made a living from agriculture and a little commerce. Smuggling was widespread but not socially deprecated, being often the only way to survive in such a harsh environment. This generated some prejudice in the remaining population of Valtellina, where smuggling was also widespread, with the local proverb gent de cunfin, tücc' lader o asesin, or "border people, all thieves or murderers".

Nowadays Livigno is a rich area, and the main activities are linked to tourism, especially as a ski resort. Many inhabitants of Valtellina visit once in a while to buy goods at substantially lower prices, especially tax-free gasoline, sometimes from as far as Sondrio. The tax free allowance for tourists applied here is the same as the one applied to travellers coming from any non EU country.

The 2005 Union Cycliste Internationale Mountain biking world championships were held there, from August 28 to September 4.

[edit] Culture/Sport

Despite its little size, there are many cultural organizations in Livigno. Some of these are:

Local street band (Corpo Musicale)
Folk group (Gruppo folkloristico)
Monteneve Chorus
Carcent theatre group [2]
A few rock/pop bands, the most well-known being Metal Dreit [3]

The mass-media sector is quite developed as well. In the 80s a local radio, Radio Alteuropa, used broadcast from Livigno, covering up to a wide part of the neighbouring Valtellina valley. The local monthly newspaper, Al Restel, [4], was founded in the same period and it is still published today.

Nowadays, most of information is given by a TV channel, TeleMonteNeve [5], which broadcasts the City Council's meetings, a news report 3 times a week and other information both for residents and for tourists. New media is also growing. An example is Senzaiva, an on-line cultural magazine. Its name means "without VAT", referring to the special duty-free status of Livigno and of all cultural products. [6]

The local dialect is being categorized in a dictionary, funded by the local administration.

Sport also plays an important role. In Livigno there are nearly 20 sport associations, most of them are supported by an association called Sporting Club [7]. Many young athletes often end up with good results in their discipline. (see below)