Valposchiavo

Whether by "Trenino Rosso" or "Bernina Express", the red train compositions of the Rhaetian Railway or by car: the journey from the Engadine to the southern valley Valposchiavo, all the way to the Italian border takes you through some of Switzerland's most varied countryside.

The authentic natural and cultural landscape of the Valposchiavo which is 25 kilometres long as the crow flies extends from the giant ice peaks of the Bernina Mountain Range all the way down to the vineyards of the Veltlin. Woven into it are a great many sites of natural beauty, pretty towns with interesting cultural monuments, churches and palaces.

The train journey over the Bernina Pass (in winter the road over the pass is sometimes closed) from St. Moritz to the Valposchiavo and to the Italian border in Tirano is an impressive experience. Time and time again vistas of the mountainscape of the Morteratsch Glacier, Diavolezza or Lagalb open up. From Alp Grüm you enjoy a view of the imposing Palü Glacier and at the same time you can see the Lago di Poschiavo deep down at the bottom of the valley. The railway line into the Valposchiavo with a gradient of 70 per mill is the highest rail link across the Alps and among the steepest narrow gauge railway lines without a rack in the world - a railway engineering feat.

The centre of the authentic Puschlav holiday universe is the small town of Poschiavo whose imposing patrician houses frame a Piazza with an Italian air. One of the many architectural special features is the "Spaniolenviertel" with its colourful houses and was built by emigrants. The guesthouses in the Valposchiavo valley, which is characterised by agriculture, serve a great many regional specialities.