Behind the scenes at the Port 

Investments, limits and perspectives of an infrastructure that has an important value for tourists and residents. City councillor Ivo Storelli and director Ivano Bondietti speak

Finding a berth in Ticino today is a lottery. There is no shortage of harbours on our lakes, but supply is far less than demand. In Brissago alone, there are about fifty people, both locals and tourists, on the waiting list. A phenomenon that affects all Swiss lakes to some extent, because the private boat market has definitely increased in recent years, with a surge during the pandemic period.

The La Resiga harbour is considered relatively large, with its more than 160 berths, to which 6 temporary moorings for 'passers-by' are added. But, as mentioned, many more would be needed to meet demand. Hence the question: is it conceivable to expand Brissago's port capacity, also considering the important tourist value - and this is generally high-level tourism - that ports have?

In this case, between saying and doing there is not the sea but the lake. Municipal Councillor Ivo Storelli, who is responsible, among other things, for the municipal ports department, is the first to wish he could answer yes. But.

"First of all," he explains, "we need to understand where a new infrastructure could be built, since we no longer have space at Resiga. There is a hypothesis of creating a harbour with some thirty berths in front of the Dannemann Centre, but we still don't know what the fate of that area will be. So it remains a hypothesis. In any case, a harbour also requires parking spaces, access for trolleys carrying boats and other infrastructure for users. Not only that: we have a lake shore that sinks fast, which poses a problem for anchoring the pontoons. It is clear that, for all these reasons, even if we had a concrete logistical solution, the costs would be huge".

The Master Plan, says architect Ivano Bondietti, head of the private building sector at the municipal technical office, envisages an area for expanding the port facilities. "But the obstacles are logistical and financial," he adds. "The investment made by the municipality in the last seven to eight years at the La Resiga port amounts to about 800,000 francs for the main works, including the replacement of the jetties and the 'fingers', i.e. the access gangways, which have been ruined by the extraordinary weather events that have hit Ticino for some years now. And replacement and modernisation works are still in progress...'.

That's right... A port also costs money in maintenance, and one must avoid getting ahead of oneself. Ivo Storelli again: "Now we have to put the brakes on investment for a moment: we have replaced the two wind-damaged pontoons, we have built the new port building, we will have to rebuild the pontoon where the Gandria is moored, which is old, so we have to proceed step by step. The port is already thirty-one years old and even maintenance costs money.

It is true that, in addition to costs, there are also revenues: there are five price categories, linked to the size of the vessel and the position of the mooring, and they range from CHF 1,000 to 7,000 per year for the biggest boats. While at Porto Vecchio, the annual rates are lower: between 400 and 500 francs. But it is a mistake to think that ports are golden goose eggs for municipalities.

At Porto Vecchio it is impossible to intervene with extensions, adds Storelli: "The quay wall is built on stilts and no one trusts to touch it. If the lake remains at a 'normal' level, it can accommodate a few small boats, theoretically having 16 moorings, but if the level drops too much, they have to be moved, with the related logistical problems".

The Porto Vecchio is part of the village's history and is a structure of unquestionable value for the entire community, also from an architectural point of view, Bondietti concludes: "Its structure on piles makes it both unique and very delicate. However, interventions aimed at its preservation are not excluded in the future'.

In conclusion, a look at the management organisation of the municipal harbours: on an administrative level, Bondietti has the role of director - responsible for projects relating to maintenance and the construction of new works, in collaboration with the City Hall - and Davide Perazzi that of secretary; while Geo Gallotti is in charge of accounting. The operational side is instead entrusted to Simone Gambetta who, as manager, is in charge of the regular technical control of the harbour structures and the execution of general maintenance works relating to the building.