The name Pontét comes from the narrow bridge that marked the border between the Serenissima and the Habsburg Empire, kept intentionally tight to have full control of the important passage. The alternative toponym Montecroce is linked to the dangerous condition of the Via di Schenèr. Many travelers, in fact, were buried in a cemetery on the hill above Pontét, called Montecroce by the crosses that indicated the burials.
In the beginning in the 1950s, the Schenèr dam construction began, which was completed in 1963. The Schenèr lake submerged both the pastures historically owned by the farmers of Pontét and the remains of the Austrian Bastia. In fact, the dam determined the decline of this village belonging to the municipality of Imèr.
Among the interesting buildings, the chapel with a reproduction of the Grotto of Our Lady of Lourdes, the wash house (lisièra) and the hotel “Al Lago”, built from the old Austrian customs office.
References
Melchiorre, M. (2016). La Via di Schenèr, Un’esplorazione storica nelle Alpi. Nodi.
