The landslide is a geological phenomenon that has left a lasting mark on the history of Campo. The first signs of soil instability were discovered in the 18th century.

The cause of the phenomenon is attributed to both nature and man, who contributed to the damage of the environment by clearing the forest and rafting the wood along the river Rovana.

Between 1830 and 1860, a large part of the Rovana forests was felled at the request of the patriciate, and the wood sold in the Po's regions in Italy. After the timber rafting ceased, cracks continued to appear in the ground, therefore the cause of the landslide could not be primarily based on this activity.

In 1897, Professor Albert Heim of the ETH Zurich was consulted by the municipality of Campo Vallemaggia. He was of the opinion that not only the erosion of the river was to blame for the landslide, but rather the weak geological composition of the site, which was due to increased penetration of rain and snowmelt water - with the resulting loss of soil strength.

Prof. Heim saw the solution in the construction of underground tunnels to dry out the soil, but unfortunately nothing was done in this direction in the following years. However, Prof. Heim's analysis and intuition were correct, and after some time the situation worsened again, in 1991 the canton took up the cause and realised two main works: a diversion tunnel from the Rovana river on the opposite side of the valley and a drainage canal under the landslide site.

Thanks to this project, the landslide is now stable and has brought peace and security to the remaining population, who have not moved away despite the threat.