As glaciers melt, Switzerland and Italy clash over a mountain retreat.

The border between Switzerland and Italy in the Alps runs along the Theodul Glacier. Although they share a common source, meltwater from the glacier can belong to either Italy or Switzerland depending on where it flows.

According to AFP, the melting of the Theodul glacier has caused the watershed (the line dividing water resources for two adjacent basins) to shift toward the Rifugio Guide del Cervino, an Italian ski resort located near the 3,480-meter-high Testa Grigia peak.

With this natural shift, the Rifugio Guide del Cervino guesthouse is in a state of being "born" in Italy, "permanently residing" in Switzerland, and its nationality is unclear.

A restaurant in Switzerland, with a menu in Italian.

At the Rifugio Guide del Cervino guesthouse, Frederic, a 59-year-old tourist, opened the narrow wooden door and stepped inside. Although the guesthouse had moved into Swiss territory, the menu was still in Italian, not German, and the prices were in euros, not Swiss francs.

At the counter, he ordered a slice of cake and asked, "So, are we in Switzerland or Italy?"

This is a question worth asking, and it was also the subject of diplomatic negotiations that began in 2018 and culminated in a compromise in 2021. However, the details of the agreements remain secret.

When the Rifugio Guide del Cervino guesthouse was built in 1984, its 40 wooden beds and long tables were entirely within Italian territory. But now, two-thirds of the guesthouse, including most of the beds and the restaurant, is geographically located in southern Switzerland.

The relocation of the lodge becomes even more noteworthy considering it sits atop one of the world's largest ski resorts. A cable car station is under construction not far away, which partly illustrates the sheer volume of visitors to the area.

An agreement was signed in Florence, Italy in November 2021 regarding the shifting border, but its contents will only be revealed once it is officially ratified by the Swiss government. However, this will not happen before 2023.

Speaking to AFP, Alain Wicht, a border official at Switzerland's national mapping agency Swisstopo, said: "We have reached a partial agreement compared to what we initially wanted."

Wicht's job was to oversee 7,000 border markers along Switzerland's 1,935-kilometer border with Austria, France, Germany, Italy, and Liechtenstein. He attended negotiations where both sides made concessions to find a solution. "Even if no one wins, at least no one loses," he said.

Melting ice is changing the boundaries.

The border between Italy and Switzerland runs through several glaciers in the Alps. These border lines follow the watershed.

However, the Theodul Glacier lost nearly a quarter of its ice between 1973 and 2010. This caused the rock peaks that were previously beneath the ice to rise to the surface, becoming higher than the ice peaks and altering the watershed. As a result, the two neighboring countries had to redraw their 100-meter border.

Mr. Wicht stated that such adjustments occur frequently. This issue is usually resolved by comparing research results from surveyors in countries with borders, without the interference of politicians.

"We are fighting over territory that is not worth much," Wicht stated. But he also noted that the border along the Theodul glacier "is the only place where we have a building involved" and that it brings "economic value" to the land.

Wicht's Italian counterparts declined to comment "due to the complex international situation." Jean-Philippe Amstein, former director of Swissopo, said such disputes are usually resolved by exchanging plots of land of equivalent size and value.

In this case, "Switzerland is not interested in taking a section of glacier," he explained, and "the Italians cannot compensate for the loss of Swiss surface area."

"Because we are Italian."

While the outcome of the negotiations remains confidential, Lucio Trucco, manager of the Rifugio Guide del Cervino guesthouse, has been informed that the guesthouse will remain in Italy.

He said, "The guesthouse remains Italian because we have always been Italian." "The menu is Italian, the wine is Italian, and the taxes are Italian."

Years of negotiations have delayed the renovation of the lodge. Villages on both sides of the border have also not been granted construction permits. As a result, the construction of the new cable car line up the Klein Matterhorn mountain in Italy will not be completed as planned by the end of 2023.

Visitors can only access the slopes from the Swiss ski resort of Zermatt. Although some mid-altitude resorts are preparing to end skiing in the Alps due to global warming, visitors can still ski throughout the summer on the slopes of Zermatt and Cervinia.

"That's why we have to strengthen (improve) this area because it's definitely going to be the last place to disappear (due to the effects of climate change)," Trucco said.

Currently, on Swisstopo's map, the dark pink border of Switzerland remains a dashed line as it passes through the resort area. This indicates that it is not yet possible to definitively determine which country the Rifugio Guide del Cervino ski resort belongs to.

Anh Thi