Ticino: Nostalgia vs reality

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The village of Airolo on a postcard from 1900 (Postcard photo by E. Goetz) Rémy Steinegger

Rémy Steinegger

The San Gottardo pass at 2114 metres altitude, circa. 1900. Rémy Steinegger

Rémy Steinegger

Ritom lake in the Piora valley, circa. 1910. Rémy Steinegger

Rémy Steinegger

Bellinzona, the capital of Canton Ticino, circa. 1920. Rémy Steinegger

Rémy Steinegger

The Piazza Grande at Locarno, which now hosts the Locarno Film Festival circa. 1900 (Paul KuReha). Rémy Steinegger

Rémy Steinegger

The village of Fusio in the Maggia valley, circa. 1930. Rémy Steinegger

Rémy Steinegger

The quayside in Ascona, circa. 1900. Rémy Steinegger

Rémy Steinegger

Hotel Kulm on the peak of Mount Generoso at 1704 metres, circa. 1900. Rémy Steinegger

Rémy Steinegger

The Magliaso railway station, circa. 1920. Rémy Steinegger

Rémy Steinegger

The Ponte Tresa bridge, circa. 1900. Rémy Steinegger

Rémy Steinegger

The arcades at Via Pessina, one of the oldest streets in Lugano, circa. 1940. Rémy Steinegger

Rémy Steinegger

The Saltrio/Arzo customs post between Italy and Switzerland, circa. 1900. Rémy Steinegger

Rémy Steinegger

The lake of Lugano with Mount San Salvatore, circa. 1920. Rémy Steinegger

Rémy Steinegger

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What has changed and what has survived of the landscape of yesteryears? Photographer Rémy Steinegger has captured images from hundreds of locations in the southern Swiss canton of Ticino that have featured on postcards from the first half of the 20th century.

Power lines, street lights, road signs, TV antennae, concrete walls, parking spaces as well as new roads and building have transformed the picture-postcard landscapes of the past. Steinegger attempts to showcase this transformation of Ticino over a relatively short span of time. 

In his book “Ticino – ieri e oggi” he doesn’t just document the physical changes but also the change in our relationship with the environment we live in. “Where has our sense of beauty gone?” he asks. Steinegger claims that our ancestors were often superior when it came to choice of materials and working in harmony with the environment, despite a lack of training in architecture. According to him, modern society, is profit-driven and is restricted to choosing what is cost-effective. 

(Photo-selection: Ester Unterfinger, text: Armando Mombelli)