Curio Parish, Ticino, Switzerland Genealogy

Description: Guide to Curio Parish, Ticino, Switzerland, ancestry, family history, and genealogy: birth records, marriage records, death records, parish census, civil census, family history, area history, and military records.



Geography
As of 1997, Curio has an area of 2.88 square kilometers (1.11 sq mi). The municipality is situated in the Lugano district, in the Malcantone valley on the southern slope of Mount Gheggio. The old village center is constructed along two streets. It includes the village of Curio and the exclave of Bombinasco, which became part of Curio in 1850.

The land use is divided up as follows:
 * 14.2% - agricultural purposes
 * 81.6% - forested
 * 6.9% - settled (buildings or roads)
 * 1.4% - rivers or lakes

History
The first mention of Curio is in 1196 as Coira. The next mention of Curio is in 1298 as Cuyri.

The population history of Curio is: 1591 - 500 inhabitants (with Navaggio) 1801 - 245 inhabitants 1900 - 340 inhabitants 1950 - 275 inhabitants 2000 - 521 inhabitants

Curio formed a castellany with the communes of Novaggio, Banco and Bedigliora in the Middle Ages. A church dedicated to Saint Peter is mentioned in 1352, but the current parish church was built in 1609.

According to records from 1571, Curio Parish was part of the Agno Pieve. The Pieve was formed from the following parishes: In Swiss territory -

In what is now Italian territory. With the exception of Cremenaga, all these parishes were separated from Agno by 1633.

Census
(See here for information regarding Ticino census records.)

The 1808 Ticino census for Curio can be accessed here.

Surnames
The following surnames held citizenship in Curio prior to 1875, along with any known soprannomi. For more information about soprannomi, click here.

Related sources
The town's website (in Italian) can be found here.

Libraries and archives
State Archives of Ticino

Societies
Società Genealogica della Svizzera Italiana (SGSI)