Australia to the Verzasca Valley: descendants of Swiss emigrants untangle their origins

This summer an Australian family visited southern Switzerland, where their ancestors lived before emigrating Down Under to escape the economic crisis of the 19th century. Meeting distant relatives to compare genealogical research allowed them to fill the gaps in their family tree. Juliette Buchanan is closing the circle. Along with her daughter and her cousin, she makes her way along the narrow lanes of the "Cioss" neighbourhood in Gerra Verzasca, a tiny village in the Verzasca Valley in southern Switzerland. This is presumably where her great-great-grandfather Antonio Vosti once lived, before emigrating to Australia in 1859. Remo Vosti, Juliette’s eighth cousin (they share a common ancestor from eight generations ago) is guiding the group, pointing out references to their family as they walk between the rustici - Ticino's typical stone houses - where the Vosti resided. The name is inscribed on an old wood oven and on an ex-voto on the side of a house. The Vosti then start climbing ...