Thanks to its status as a protected historic settlement, the Foundation has promoted projects for the recovery and enhancement of heritage over the years, among which the creation of the Corippo Albergo Diffuso stands out. This project represents a key initiative in the process of economic and social revitalization of the village, as well as a unique case in the Swiss tourism scene, to the point of receiving the Hotel Innovations Award 2017, awarded by GastroSuisse (Swiss Hotel and Restaurant Association) and the Swiss Hotel Credit Company (SGH). The structure, inaugurated in 2022, is organized around a series of properties acquired by the Foundation. The central element is the village’s old osteria (tavern), converted into a multi-functional space that includes the reception, dining room, and other common services. Added to this are five houses— previously abandoned—inside which rooms have been created, each with unique characteristics, through conservative restoration interventions.21 These bear the names of some former residents of the village. The management of the Corippo Albergo Diffuso was awarded, through a public tender, to the Franco-Swiss duo formed by chef Jeremy Gehring and hotel management expert Désirée Voitle. Both, along with their children, reside permanently in Corippo—as required by the Foundation—thus contributing to the demographic revitalization of the urban center. With a current capacity of 10 rooms and 22 beds, the structure also stands as a strategic element in the reconfiguration of tourism dynamics throughout the Verzasca Valley, an area historically affected by a scarcity of hotel infrastructure and a marked phenomenon of day-tripping. In this sense, the project promotes “slower” and therefore more sustainable tourism practices in the environmental, social, and economic spheres, aimed at a public aligned with these objectives. The Corippo Albergo Diffuso is defined by Jeremy Gehring as a kind of “mountain boutique hotel,” given the meticulous attention to detail applied both to the development of the structure and to the provision of the various services for guests. Thus, compared to the limited existing accommodation supply in the valley—mainly composed of apartments and holiday homes—this structure is oriented towards a more sophisticated public, looking for a “more authentic, unique experience, far from conventional standards,” which combines quality with a certain “Spartanian” conditions and isolation, in line with the history of the place and rural life. The rooms and common spaces, in fact, are deliberately 21 Cfr. https://www.fondazionecorippo.ch/albergo-diffuso/ 309 EXPLORING THE INTERPLAY OF INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY
RkJQdWJsaXNoZXIy MTE4NzM5Nw==