Swiss alpine hamlet sold

A Swiss hamlet located high in the mountains of canton Valais has been sold for SFr1 million ($598,000). The tiny settlement, called Berneusa, lies at an altitude of 1,870 metres facing Mount Cervin in the Anniviers Valley.

The small settlement, which was once a high mountain pasture, belonged to a family from Lucerne, who has spent the past decade looking for a buyer.

The original asking price for the hamlet was SFr4.5 million but the family finally sold it for just over SFr1 million.

The hamlet sits on 8.5 hectares of land and consists of seven chalets, built in the 1970s, as well as a pool and a game area. The former owner, a wealthy businessman from Lucerne, fell in love with the place and bought the entire hamlet.

The settlement looks out on Mount Cervin as well as four other mountain peaks over 4,000 metres high.

In order to reach the hamlet, the former owner had a cable car installed at a cost of SFr2 million ($1.2 million).

The new owner negotiated with the family for three years before finally agreeing to buy the hamlet after the selling price had been drastically reduced.

swissinfo with agencies