Why are you against this speculative real estate project?
See our arguments: economical, ecological, and moral.
Why should we save Monte Brè, if destroying it means more tax revenue?
Tax revenue to do what? What do you need that you don’t already have? We assume most people understand their qualify of life is not a function of the government’s power. Our chestnut forests, our landscapes, our granit homes – these are real wealth.
Hunting for mushrooms in the fall; meeting a deer on your way up the moutain; enjoying the silence and peace of the forest when you feel like it; hiking our beautiful sentieri; these are what make us rich. Armed guards, leisure helicopter flights and secluded resorts aren’t congruent with that.
The paper wealth the speculators are bringing with them is fictious: it is debt, both literally and figuratively. Destroying Monte Brè so a few multimillionaires (who are, in this day and age, very unlikely to have ever produced value commensurate with their purchasing power) may satisfy their futile, ephemeral and epicurean lifestyle, would amount to mortgaging our mountain and selling-out our children.
Our government doesn’t need more power, or more money. It already extracts enough value from local producers; it doesn’t need to bring-in Russian, Saudi or Chinese nouveaux riches to properly fulfill its role.
Isn’t Monte Brè a dying community, and won’t this revive it?
Monte Brè has never been as beautiful as it is today. As in many rural/mountaneous environments, its population has dwindled in the last few generations. But the forest has re-grown, wild fauna has re-colonized the land, and respectful tourism has developed, all in the past 30 years. It is now home to those who understand and seek true luxurxy: nature, silence, modesty and beauty.
When you have spring water and a million-dollar view, you don’t need a million-dollar home, or a million-dollar job. Traditional granit dwellings, selected by the ages as the most efficient habitations on our hills, are harmonious with – and enhance – the landscape. The narrow and steep road that connects Monte Brè to the world acts as deterrent to the weak-hearted, and reserves a paradise to those who earn the privilege of climbing these slopes.
Why are you against tourism?
We love tourists, and we welcome them year-round. Every knowledgeable and tasteful voyager knows of the mountain above Locarno. There are hikers, cyclists or skiers on the hills, parenpentists and gliders in the sky. They are part of the ecosystem, their presence is natural.
Now imagine, in the middle of all this, 150 five-star “branded” residences (i.e. 3-story advertisement concrete cubes), sold at over 22’000 CHF per square meters as “trophy assets” to foreign multimillionaires who need 3000 square meters of spa for their contentment. Quite a different picture from the protestant, polite Swiss German, don’t you think? Monte Brè and Cardada don’t hold the ambition of being turned into Courchevel.
We hope the regular tourists who know us and love our moutain as much as we do will help us preserve this natural paradise, as it is theirs too.
Do you propose a solution?
Yes. We hope our peaceful action will advertize the fact that the inhabitants of Monte Brè and Cardada are quite irreverent. That we share a strong sense of natural harmony and individual sovereignty.
Do you feel the same as we do? We are hoping to constitute, within the next 12 months, a list of interested parties, who would be willing to buy a home in Monte Brè, however modest, and join our libertarian community. If you already live in the region: would you rather endure 20 minutes of traffic, or enjoy 20 minutes of forest? If you don’t: realize a new spirit of freedom is being born up here; you can come and help us crystalize it into reality.
We believe we will be able to constitute such a list. We even think it will be over-subscribed; after all, Monte Brè, il balcone sopra Locarno, is the best place to live in the world. We have spring water, a breathtaking view, limitless sun, and are surrounded by a forest abounding with wildlife. Best of all, real estate prices here are 2 to 3 times lower than down in the plain. We will soon be able to approach the speculators and propose an amicable solution. No home will be destroyed, no cube of concrete shall be poured, and the community will prosper. We will thus be thankful for an ordeal that has brought new energy and solidarity to our hills.
To become an early bird in this liberty wave, drop us an email.