URBINARY

CYCLE 2 / EPISODE 3

Chipping Away at the Monolith: Reframing the Valle di Lei Cross-border Dam

Written by Stella De Luca and Isabella Traeger

In this final episode of Territorial Elsewheres, Urbinary takes listeners to the Alpine border between Italy and Switzerland, exploring the Valle di Lei and its monumental hydroelectric dam. Through archival material and first-hand voices, the episode unpacks how the construction of the dam redefined the border, reshaping territorial uses, governance models, and everyday practices. Farmers, energy companies, local authorities, and even the Swiss army converge in this “in-between” space, where the border is less a line than a site of friction, negotiation, and exchange. As the 2042 concession renewal approaches, questions of ownership, governance, and resource distribution become ever more pressing, offering a window into the political and economic futures of cross-border peripheries.

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Quote by Dino Buzzetti

Guests

Dino Buzzetti  

Co-author of La Valle di Lei, una valle ricca di storia ed energia.  

Martin Cantieni 

President of the Gemeindekorporation Hinterrhein, the corporation representing the Swiss concessionary municipalities. 

Dominique Durot  

Vice-director and head of the technical department at Kraftwerke Hinterrhein (KHR).

Michela Fanetti 

Staff member at the Madesimo Infopoint.

Omar Iacomella 

Mayor of Piuro (SO), the Italian municipality to which most of Valle di Lei belongs.  

Resources

Suggested readings  

Buzzetti, D., & Fanetti, G. L. (2007). La Valle di Lei, una valle ricca di storia ed energia.  

Tsing, A. L. (2005). Friction: An Ethnography of Global Connection. Princeton University Press. 

Olmi, E. (1961). Un metro lungo cinque (Documentary). Edisonvolta. 

Schawinski, R. (1979). Radio 24 (Pirate radio project, Switzerland).