For a long time we have been going to the Engadin in Switzerland, and we usually make a day-trip to Val Bregaglia, on the easternmost side. Maloja is the last town in the Engadin and beyond it the so-called Maloja pass tumbles down into Val Bregaglia with some 12 hairpins. The first town is Cassacia, just a few houses along the main road. Next you come to Vicosoprano, which is a little larger and has a delightful garden café. Then there are Stampa and Bondo, both lovely towns. From Bondo you go up to Soglio…

Soglio is the most beautiful village on earth, or so they say. I wouldn’t know if it’s true, but it could very well be. It surely is more beautiful than the village I was born in, Abbenbroek, but then, that’s not so difficult. But all the villages and small towns in Val Bregaglia are wonderful. There is a serene atmosphere, and an extraordinary homogeneity. Everything seems to be in the right place, everything seems to belong just there. The ancient houses with slate roofs, the fountains, the flowers. I don’t remember ever having seen a stray piece of garbage around. The only thing that really disturbs are the noises of different machines, especially the grass-cutters. Finally, you will reach Castasegna, again a wonderful town, with huge Engadin style houses that have impressive entrances. After Castasegna you cross into Italy, and the old part of Chiavenna is absolutely worth a visit. By the way, Val Bregaglia, though Swiss, is very Italian in character—language, food…