Holiday home Casa Walser

In the Onsernone Valley in Ticino, on the steep slope below the his­toric village centre of Loco, stands a Swiss icon: Casa Walser, designed by Luigi Snozzi in 1987. This house is the result of a long-standing love affair that began in the 1960s. It was then that Dr Peter Walser, a doctor from Zurich, drove down an unpaved gravel track into the valley for the first time – a place that at that time still served as a retreat for Golo Mann, Alfred Andersch and Max Frisch. But the valley also became a place of longing and a holiday desti­nation for Peter Walser’s family. Two decades later, Peter Walser and his wife Ger­trude built their own retreat here – with the Ticino architect Luigi Snozzi.
He posi­tioned Casa Walser dis­creetly within the land­scape, allowing its impact to unfold through movement.

Below the village, a path leads across a foot­bridge directly to the upper floor and con­tinues from there in a spiral down­wards – through the house and, at the same time, out into the valley. Three round windows, like port­holes, each frame a view: up towards the village, down towards the wooded slope, and across to the pergola. In the loggia, the house opens up towards the valley through a semi-cir­cular glazed section; in front of it stands the dining table in a pri­vi­leged position.

The building’s form remains simple: a square floor plan, a pyra­midal roof, exposed con­crete and glass. Inside, at the client’s request, a stark black-and-white design domi­nates, with white ceramic floors and black steel frames. Only in the bed­rooms, in line with the client’s vision, do colour tones inspired by Le Cor­busier provide accents. But in the kitchen too, the client, Peter Walser, got his way on one point – namely regarding the fire­place, and quite expli­citly against Snozzi’s objec­tions: tra­di­tional Ticino kit­chens, he argued, also had their hearth there. Snozzi even­tually relented.

At the house­warming in 1987, the Walsers wel­comed over sixty friends to the valley, and even in their old age they still enjoyed spending time in Loco. Today, their son Christoph runs the house as a holiday home – for anyone who wishes to expe­rience what moved his parents and Luigi Snozzi in this place.

What to do

Hiking along ancient paths through chestnut forests and mountain villages, swimming in the Isorno and in clear mountain streams, reading, taking photographs and cooking in peaceful surroundings, day trips to Locarno and Ascona with their markets, restaurants and lakeside promenades, taking time to appreciate the light, the forest and the stone, retreating and slowing down far from the hustle and bustle

Why we like this house

Because it is a very personal place where you can really sense the family history: a couple from Zurich who fell in love with a quiet valley in Ticino, spent years searching for the right plot of land and then – both in their fifties – built their home without compromise. And because the house still embodies that spirit today.

This house is great for

For anyone who doesn’t just want to consume architecture, but to live in it. For those seeking a place where silence is not an absence, but a quality. And who are prepared to embrace a house that sets its own rhythm.

Sustainability

Casa Walser is accessible without a car. Those wishing to shop locally will find a small mini-market in the village.

Details

Availability calendar

The calendar shows the current availability of the accommodation. On days with white background the accommodation is still available. On days with dark gray background the accommodation is not available.

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