# Macugnaga > Italian comune **Wikidata**: [Q23607](https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q23607) **Wikipedia**: [English](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Macugnaga) **Source**: https://4ort.xyz/entity/macugnaga ## Summary Macugnaga is an Italian comune located in the Province of Verbano-Cusio-Ossola in the Piedmont region of northern Italy. Situated in the Valle Anzasca valley near the Swiss border, this mountain municipality encompasses several smaller settlements and frazioni, including Borca, Isella, Pestarena, Motta, Stabioli, Fornarelli, and Staffa. The comune is positioned at coordinates 45.966666666667° N latitude and 7.9666666666667° E longitude, with Monte Moro Pass—a significant mountain pass connecting Italy and Switzerland—located within its territory. ## Key Facts - **Classification:** Comune of Italy (municipal division) - **Location:** Province of Verbano-Cusio-Ossola, Piedmont, Italy - **Country:** Italy - **Coordinates:** Latitude 45.966666666667° N, Longitude 7.9666666666667° E - **Website:** https://www.comune.macugnaga.vb.it/ - **Population:** 555, 548, 514 (varying census counts) - **Wikipedia title:** Macugnaga - **Wikidata description:** Italian comune - **Sitelink count:** 55 - **Valley:** Valle Anzasca - **Mountain Pass:** Monte Moro Pass (connects Q39/Switzerland and Q38/Italy) ## FAQs **What type of administrative area is Macugnaga?** Macugnaga is classified as an Italian comune, which serves as the fundamental unit of municipal administration in Italy. Comuni function as local government divisions responsible for managing civic services, territorial planning, and local administrative affairs within defined boundaries. **Which settlements and frazioni are part of Macugnaga?** Macugnaga comprises multiple smaller settlements: Borca, Isella, Pestarena, Motta (a frazione), Stabioli, Fornarelli, and Staffa. These human settlements are distributed throughout the municipal territory and collectively constitute the administrative area of the comune. **Where is Macugnaga located geographically?** Macugnaga is situated in the Province of Verbano-Cusio-Ossola in the Piedmont region of northern Italy. The comune lies within the Valle Anzasca (Anzasca Valley), a mountain valley in the Italian Alps near the Swiss border. The municipality's territory includes Monte Moro Pass, a mountain crossing that links Italy with Switzerland. **What is the population of Macugnaga?** Population figures for Macugnaga vary across different census periods, with recorded counts of 555, 548, and 514 residents. These population numbers reflect the small-scale nature of this mountain municipality. **What are the notable geographic features of Macugnaga?** The comune is characterized by its Alpine setting in Valle Anzasca and its proximity to Monte Moro Pass. This mountain pass represents a significant geographic feature that has historically facilitated transit and trade between Italy and Switzerland. The territory encompasses various human settlements positioned throughout the mountainous terrain. ## Why It Matters Macugnaga represents a characteristic example of Italian mountain municipal organization in the Alpine regions. As a comune situated in the Province of Verbano-Cusio-Ossola—one of the provinces comprising the Piedmont region—Macugnaga demonstrates how administrative boundaries in Italy extend into mountainous terrain to provide local governance for dispersed communities. The presence of Monte Moro Pass within its territory highlights the strategic importance of this area as a transit corridor between Italy and Switzerland, a function that has influenced settlement patterns and local development throughout history. The municipality's organization into multiple settlements, including both traditional villages and frazioni, illustrates the distributed settlement pattern common in Alpine regions where populations cluster in smaller groups rather than concentrated urban centers. This administrative structure allows for the provision of local services to residents across the municipal territory while maintaining connection to the broader regional and national administrative systems of Italy. ## Notable For - Location in Valle Anzasca, a distinctive Alpine valley in northern Italy - Inclusion of Monte Moro Pass within municipal boundaries—a significant trans-Alpine crossing - Organization encompassing seven distinct settlements and frazioni - Part of the Province of Verbano-Cusio-Ossola, one of Italy's provincial divisions - Proximity to the Swiss border, positioning the comune at an international boundary zone ## Body ### Administrative Structure Macugnaga functions as an Italian comune, which represents the lowest level of administrative territorial organization in Italy. The comune system allows for local governance of municipalities ranging from small villages like Macugnaga to large cities such as Rome or Milan. As part of the Province of Verbano-Cusio-Ossola, Macugnaga operates within a hierarchical administrative framework that includes regional (Piedmont), provincial, and municipal levels of government. The municipal administration, accessible through its official website at https://www.comune.macugnaga.vb.it/, serves the resident population across the entire municipal territory. This administrative structure provides essential services including civil registration, local planning, and coordination of municipal functions. ### Geography and Location The comune is positioned at coordinates 45.966666666667° N latitude and 7.9666666666667° E longitude, placing it in the heart of the Italian Alps in the northwestern portion of Italy. The municipal territory encompasses portions of the Valle Anzasca (Anzasca Valley), a mountain valley that winds through the Alpine terrain of Piedmont. Monte Moro Pass represents a significant geographic feature within the Macugnaga territory. This mountain pass facilitates travel and transit between Italy and Switzerland, connecting the Italian Alpine region with the Swiss canton of Valais. The pass has historically served as an important route for trade, migration, and regional connectivity, contributing to the strategic significance of the Macugnaga area. ### Settlements and Frazioni The municipal territory of Macugnaga comprises multiple distinct settlements that collectively form the comune: **Borca** is a human settlement located within Macugnaga, Province of Verbano-Cusio-Ossola, Piedmont, Italy. As one of the smaller communities within the municipal area, Borca represents the distributed settlement pattern characteristic of Alpine regions. **Isella** functions as a settlement within the Macugnaga municipal boundaries, contributing to the overall population and territorial composition of the comune. **Pestarena** is another human settlement situated in Macugnaga, Province of Verbano-Cusio-Ossola, Piedmont, Italy. Like Borca, it represents one of the discrete communities that comprise the broader municipal area. **Motta** holds the classification of frazione of Macugnaga, which in Italian administrative terminology denotes a secondary settlement or district within a comune. The frazione system acknowledges distinct communities that, while administratively part of a larger comune, maintain separate identities and sometimes traditional boundaries. **Stabioli** is a human settlement located in Macugnaga, Province of Verbano-Cusio-Ossola, Piedmont, Italy. **Fornarelli** represents another human settlement within the Macugnaga municipal territory. **Staffa** is a human settlement situated in Macugnaga, Province of Verbano-Cusio-Ossola, Piedmont, Italy. This pattern of multiple settlements within a single comune reflects the historical development of Alpine communities, where geographic constraints such as mountains, valleys, and passes created natural divisions that influenced settlement patterns and administrative organization. ### Regional Context Macugnaga belongs to the Province of Verbano-Cusio-Ossola, a province in the Piedmont region of northwestern Italy. This province encompasses portions of the Italian Alps and is named after three geographic features: Lake Verbano (Lake Maggiore), the Cusio area around Lake Orta, and the Ossola valley region. The province is characterized by its Alpine and pre-Alpine terrain, numerous lakes, and significant mountain passes that connect Italy with Switzerland. Piedmont (Piemonte in Italian) is one of Italy's twenty regions and occupies the northwestern portion of the country. The region is bordered by France and Switzerland to the west and north, respectively, and by the regions of Lombardy and Liguria to the east and south. Piedmont's geography is dominated by the Alps in the north and west, transitioning to hills and plains toward the south and east. The region is renowned for its wine production, including the famous Barolo and Barbaresco wines, as well as its industrial centers including Turin. ### Population and Demographics The population data for Macugnaga shows recorded figures of 555, 548, and 514 residents across different census periods. These numbers reflect the small-scale nature of the municipality and are consistent with the population patterns of mountain communities in the Italian Alps, where settlement sizes tend to be modest due to geographic constraints, climate conditions, and historical development patterns. ### Classification and Relationships Macugnaga is classified as a comune of Italy, which represents a specific type of territorial administrative division within the Italian system. The classification of "comune of Italy" encompasses all municipal divisions throughout the country, from the smallest mountain villages to the largest urban centers. This classification system provides a consistent framework for understanding and comparing Italian municipalities regardless of their size or geographic setting. The comune is related to the broader category of municipal divisions of Italy, which encompasses the complete system of comuni operating throughout the Italian territory. This hierarchical classification situates Macugnaga within the national framework of Italian territorial organization. ### Connection to Mountain Pass Infrastructure Monte Moro Pass represents a significant element of Macugnaga's geographic and functional identity. This mountain pass connects Italy with Switzerland, serving as a transit route through the Alpine barrier that separates these two countries. The pass's location within the Macugnaga municipal territory gives the comune strategic importance as a gateway location, connecting the Italian Alpine region with destinations in Switzerland. Mountain passes like Monte Moro have historically played crucial roles in regional development, facilitating trade, pilgrimage, military movement, and general travel between neighboring countries. The presence of such a pass within municipal boundaries often influences local economy, infrastructure development, and cultural exchange patterns. ## References 1. Virtual International Authority File 2. Freebase Data Dumps. 2013 3. Italian National Institute of Statistics 4. [Popolazione Residente al 1° Gennaio 2018. Italian National Institute of Statistics](http://demo.istat.it/pop2018/index3.html) 5. [Source](https://demo.istat.it/?l=it) 6. GeoNames 7. [Superficie di Comuni Province e Regioni italiane al 9 ottobre 2011. Italian National Institute of Statistics](https://www.istat.it/it/archivio/156224) 8. Wiki Loves Monuments Italia 9. [Source](https://atlasf.eu/poi/14355) 10. Seismic classification in Italy 11. [Source](https://rischi.protezionecivile.gov.it/it/sismico/attivita/classificazione-sismica)