Poschiavo Valley

H is a very methodical person. In the days preceding my arrival he had monitored the weather situation, poring over maps, and come to the conclusion that we had a chance of passable weather for our hike in the Poschiavo (Puschlav in German) Valley. This is a finger of Italian speaking Switzerland that protrudes into Lombardy.

To get there we had to change trains a couple of times, and finally to the Bernina Express. You can see that the landscape around Ospizio Bernina, the highest station on the line, was snowbound even though it was midsummer.

The Rhaetian Railway company runs services in this region of Switzerland. From the comfort of the panoramic coach, I could marvel at the magnificent mountainscape, albeit a bit misty through the glass.

We went past the town of Poschiavo and then the lake, Lago di Poschiavo. Notice the characteristic milky cyan of alpine lakes that receive rock flour.

Looking back at the snowy heights we descended from.

Our destination was the small village of Brusio, where we would spend a night before a hike the next day.

After we had settled into our quarters and rested a bit, we took an afternoon walk down the valley. The Brusio Spiral Viaduct is a singular piece of railway engineering that almost certainly attracts train buffs and is even highlighted on tourist maps. It exists purely to allow the track to have a gentler gradient than the terrain. Unfortunately I could only manage a ground level photo. You'll have to follow the link to see a birds eye view.

Some local residents, young and old.

A couple of km down, we entered Italy without any fuss. The city of Tirano is just across the border and is the terminus of the Rhaetian Railway line we had come on. Another line, of Trenitalia, passes through the city. This is the outstanding landmark of the city, the basilica.

A view of the Swiss mountain ranges from the piazza in front of the basilica.


We decided to dine near the station. We first bought our return tickets, then had beers at a bar. H asked for a toasted sandwich. It was slow coming. Eventually we got up and found the staff watching TV, so we paid and left. We went to a nearby restaurant and I ordered a pizza. The minutes ticked away and enquiries got "it's coming" in reply. It arrived with 5 minutes to spare so we asked for a takeaway box and rushed to the train. Even on a small outing, Italians were manifestly Italian.

I ate the rest of my pizza on the train. As soon as we had passed Campocologno, the first station of the line in Switzerland, the conductor came back to ask why my ticket was only to that station. The reason was that I was on a Eurailpass which was still valid for the day in Switzerland but not in Italy, so only needed to pay for the Italian segment. Very sharp and diligent, that conductor.


There was still a bit of daylight left as it was midsummer and the last rays of the sun bathed the mountain peaks when the village was already in shadow.