High up in the snowy Alps, at an altitude of 3,480 metres, the consequences of climate change modified the border between Switzerland and Italy, sparking a dispute over the location of an Italian mountain hut that is now on the Swiss side.
The border line between the two countries is determined by the flow of meltwater, which runs towards one country or the other.
But the retreat of the Theodul glacier means that the basin has slid towards the Rifugio Guide del Matterhorn, adjoining the 3,480-meter-high Testa Grigia peak, and gradually passes below the refuge.
The situation surprises athletes and tourists, like Frederic, 59, who, seeing the menu in Italian with prices in euros, instead of German and Swiss francs, asks: “Are we in Switzerland or Italy?”
The question is valid and the answer has been the subject of diplomatic negotiations that began in 2018 and concluded last year. However, the details of the agreement remain secret.
sleeping on the swiss side
When the shelter was built on a rocky outcrop in 1984, its 40 beds and long wooden tables were entirely on the Italian side.
But now two-thirds of the hostel, including most of the beds and the restaurant, technically they are in the south of Switzerland.
The issue came back to the fore because the area, dependent on tourism, is located at the top of one of the largest ski resorts and a new cable car station is being built a few meters away.
An agreement was reached in November 2021 in Florence, but the result will only be revealed when approved by the Swiss government, which will not happen before 2023.
“We agreed to split the difference,” Alain Wicht, head of borders at the Swiss mapping agency Swisstopo, told AFP.
His work includes guarding the 7,000 markers along the 1,935 km Swiss border with France, Italy, Germany, Austria and Liechtenstein.
Wicht participated in the negotiations in which both sides made concessions to find a solution in which “even if neither side won, at least no one lost.”
line in the snow
The Italian-Swiss border runs through glaciers along the watershed.
But the Theodul Glacier lost nearly a quarter of its mass between 1973 and 2010, exposing rocks beneath the ice. and altered the drainage divide and forced the two neighbors to redefine around 100 meters from its border.
According to Wicht, such adjustments were frequent and tended to be resolved without involving politicians.
“We are arguing over territory that is not worth much,” he said. In this case, “it is the only site that involved a property”, which gave “economic value” to the land.
His Italian peers declined to comment. “due to the complex international situation”.
Former Swisstopo boss Jean-Philippe Amstein said such disputes are often resolved by exchanging parcels of land equivalent in size and value.
In this case, “Switzerland is not interested in obtaining a piece of the glacier,” he explained, “and the Italians cannot compensate for the loss of Swiss surface area.”
“The wine is Italian”
Although the outcome of the deal is secret, the shelter’s caretaker, Lucio Trucco, 51, has been told the site will remain on Italian soil.
“The shelter is still Italian because we have always been Italian,” he said.
“The menu is Italian, the wine is Italian and the taxes are Italian,” he added.
Years of negotiations postponed the renovation of the refuge because none of the towns on either side of the border could issue the construction permit.
The works will not be completed in time for the inauguration, scheduled for the end of 2023, of a new cable car on the Italian side of Mount Klein Matterhorn.
Its slopes are only accessible from Zermatt, the well-known Swiss ski resort.
Some mid-altitude ski resorts are preparing to close operations due to global warming, but you can ski in the summer on the slopes of Zermatt-Cervinia, although doing so contributes to the retreat of the glacier.
“That’s why we have to enhance the area here because it will surely be the last to die,” Trucco said.
For now, on the Swisstopo maps, the solid pink ribbon of the Swiss border remains a dashed line as it passes through the shelter. (YO)
Source: Eluniverso
Paul is a talented author and journalist with a passion for entertainment and general news. He currently works as a writer at the 247 News Agency, where he has established herself as a respected voice in the industry.
