Bioggio - History

History

Bioggio is first mentioned in 1335 as Biegio. Finds from the Roman era bear witness to the former importance of Bioggio. In 1962 a farm house from the 3rd Century was discovered, and in 1992 a market building with baths was discovered. Equally important are the recent discoveries made in the restoration of the chapel of S. Ilario, where the remains of a wooden religious building from the 8th Century were found. In the Middle Ages noble families from Comacina and Lugano owned extensive property in Bioggio. The old mansions of the counts of Riva and Rusca, and a country estate for the Avogadro family from Como. The church had extensive holdings as well. In the 13th Century the monastery of S. Maria in Torello (Carona) owned numerous rental houses and farms. In the 17th Century these holdings were transferred to the monastery of S. Antonio in Lugano. In 1852 this property was confiscated by the Canton and auctioned.

In 1261, the church of S. Maurizio is mentioned. A series of excavations in 1997-98 discovered that the foundations can be dated back to the 5th-6th Century. The new parish church rebuilt in 1773-91 in a classicist style, but the tower is from the older church. The S. Ilario chapel on the hill of the same name was extended in 1680 and remained unchanged since then.

Historically, Bioggio was located on the transit axis (Strada Regina) from Ponte Tresa to Monte Ceneri pass. Today, it has highway access and part of the Lugano-Agno airport and a freight station of the Swiss Federal Railways are located in the municipality. Since 1912, it has been served by the regional railway Lugano-Ponte Tresa line. In the 1960s, a major industrial zone was built in the valley. It is now part of the agglomeration between Ponte Tresa and Rivera.