Who is responsible for maintaining the quality of the place?

In the 1970s, the Ticinese entrepreneur Egidio Cattaneo was one of the promoters of a cable car up Monte Tamaro. In the 1990s, Mario Botta was commissioned by the entrepreneur to design the Santa Maria degli Angeli chapel on the same mountain. Egidio Cattaneo dedicated the church in memory of his wife, who died at an early age. The chapel, which is open to the public, is maintained by Fondazione Egidio e Mariangela Cattaneo – a foundation run by his children.

Does the place have low traffic?

The chapel, built at 1530 metres above sea level, can be reached on foot or by cable car from the village of Rivera. The Alpe Foppa on Monte Tamaro is an excursion destination with various leisure activities, a restaurant and the chapel, which serves both as a vantage point and a sacred space. The place is surrounded by meadows, hiking trails and bike trails – cars are not allowed.

Does the place demonstrate responsible land use?

The Alpe Foppa on Monte Tamaro is an excursion destination geared towards hikers and families. The various activities are concentrated around the cable car’s mountain station and middle station. The chapel is a compact, elongated building that does not immediately reveal itself as a sacred space. It looks like it could also be a fortress or a water reservoir. Two paths lead to the chapel’s interior – a 65-metre-long path on its roof and, just below, a long covered walkway. At the end of the roof, the path leads over multiple cascades of steps to the prayer room below.

Will the place remain attractive in the long term for living, working, leisure and/or tourism?

The chapel by the famous Ticinese architect Mario Botta and the Italian artist Enzo Cucchi is a major factor in drawing tourists to Monte Tamaro. Santa Maria degli Angeli resembles a ski jump on the edge of the mountainside, affording an exceptional panoramic view.

Does the place bring different people together?

Both the chapel and the entire place around the Alpe Foppa are visited by locals, tourists, families and senior citizens. Because the cable car runs from spring to autumn, it is especially during this time that different people and social classes meet on the mountain to enjoy the incredible panoramic view and to momentarily escape the towns on the plain.

Is the place in dialogue with the landscape, urban fabric, colours and materials?

As if wrested from the mountain, the stone chapel of Santa Maria degli Angeli perches high above Lake Lugano. The building’s elongated ramp leads from the mountain slope like a processional way to the roof of the lower-lying cylindrical chapel. From here, visitors enjoy a stunning view towards Lombardy. Two symmetrically configured cascades of steps lead down from the roof to the intimate prayer room below.

Are local, regional and historical values integrated into the design and management of the place?

Santa Maria degli Angeli is built of concrete and porphyry, the stone of Monte Tamaro. The architect has used roughly hewn blocks that are stacked like bricks. As a result, the building shimmers in the natural colours of its surroundings. Inside the chapel, the furniture consists of wooden planks made of laminated strips. The artistic design by Enzo Cucchi encompasses the two main chambers. In his fresco behind the altar, he depicts two large white hands on a dark blue background. The light penetrating from above falls exactly on the painting and creates the impression that the hands are about to receive something.

Does the place have an atmospheric impact on the beholder?

The rough, powerful beauty that characterises the sacred building is derived in part from its simple form and in part from its façade of rough-hewn stone. The horizontal gesture of the bridge dramatises the steeply descending mountainside, and the circular geometry of the chapel contrasts with the savage landscape.