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Calanca – deserted villages in an alpine valley

Over the past centuries many people have migrated out of the valleys on the southern side of the Alps in canton Graubünden. Farming has been abandoned, farming buildings have fallen into ruin and paths have reverted to nature.

The decline of agriculture and the farming way of life started very early in the Italian-speaking Calanca valley, and there are few others where the consequences are as dramatically evident, as can be seen in the photos taken by Oliver Gemperle over a period of six years. (Pictures: Oliver Gemperle)

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