This text is part of the special Pleasures notebook
In an increasingly smooth world that surprises less and less, the Swiss cultivate their differences. In the cantons of Valais and Graubünden, light on the astonishment! A circuit to do both in winter and summer.
A change of scenery and Switzerland are not two words that go very well together. After all, as we know, the small territory is neutral, green and alpine. The cows manicure the mountain, the watchmaking expertise is sure to please and the raclette is a treat. But do we know how the coexistence of multiple ancestral traditions and bursts of regional creativity can be a source of surprises? From ski centers to hamlets for gourmets, we simply let ourselves be… disorientated.
First stage of a rail circuit to be carried out in winter and summer: Chur, the capital of Graubünden and the oldest city in the Confederation. Surrounded by peaks, its medieval heart seems straight out of a picture book. We thought so 20 years ago, and it is still the case as the destination is magnificently well preserved. Chicane streets leading to pretty squares, frescoed facades, stone fountains – the harmony of the buildings is good! At the edge of this Altstadt, the Cantonal Art Museum has a collection of works by a famous son of the country, the painter and sculptor Alberto Giacometti. But what really stands out is the presence of a gondola in the city center! It leads to an outdoor oasis on Mount Brambüesch, where in summer you can enjoy hiking to the sound of cow bells on the mountain pasture and, in winter, board sports.
Graubünden being the territory of the Swiss speaking Romansh (one of the four national languages, spoken by 1% of the population), let’s remember two delicious words, which name surprising local dishes: capuns (chard cigars stuffed with spaetzlehomemade pasta, cooked in a milk broth and garnished with gendarme, sausage) and maluns (grated and roasted potatoes served with applesauce). It’s comforting, and a must-try at the cute Veltliner Weinestube.
The wonder of the village
Foodies and Michelin star hunters, take note: Fürstenau is only 30 minutes by train from Chur via Thusis. The interest? Here, it is said to be the smallest village in the world. Indeed, time to say capuns And maluns, and we went straight on. But the most important thing is the fact that, in this town of 300 souls, Andreas Caminada, a great crazy native of a neighboring village, has been creating a haven for epicureans in an 18th century castle for 20 years.e century and its dependencies.
“I love Fürstenau, the patina of its houses. It’s beautiful, isn’t it? And I brought life back to it: there was no restaurant before, no bakery and, today, we come to buy our bread here,” he notes.
At Schloss Schauenstein (three Michelin stars, one green star and eight months of waiting for a table), we sleep and dine. Likewise at Casa Caminada, where former stables have been converted into an inn, a restaurant serving updated classics of Grisons cuisine and the famous bakery. As for Oz (“today” in Romansh, one Michelin star and one green star), it is the new vegetarian micro-restaurant in Mr. Caminada’s stronghold.
In order to partly supply his tables, the chef has an organic garden where 700 varieties of fruits, vegetables, herbs and edible flowers are grown. “It’s the source of our innovations, I go there to inspire myself,” adds the man who is also at the head of Igniv (“nid”, two Michelin stars), restaurants scattered elsewhere in the country and up to in Bangkok, Thailand.
For chef Marcel Skibba, Mr. Caminada’s business partner in the castle adventure and also behind his stoves, the garden allows for tasty experiments. “I let certain plants, like kale, go to seed, and it produces a completely different product, with a more intense flavor,” he says. It even gets a coconut-flavored oil from the leaf of the fig tree!
And so, in the cozy atmosphere of the castle of a forgotten valley, we taste menus divided into three or five seasonal, regional and delicate dishes that will amaze the taste buds.
Stunned in St. Moritz
In the Engadine, another valley of Graubünden, a star locality awaits us 90 minutes by train from Chur: Saint-Moritz. The country’s first winter resort, magnificently dotted with lakes, it has attracted crowned heads and rich people for more than 150 years.
In 1935, the elegant Suvretta House hotel, which could be a cousin of the Fairmont Château Whistler, inaugurated Switzerland’s second ski lift on its grounds, which still makes it today the only “ski-on” establishment in the destination. It is also distinguished by the fact that… curling is played there. “In January and February, the ice rinks are prepared from 5 a.m. every morning especially for our guests, this is typical of the region,” says Florian Thöni, the house’s marketing director.
In Valais, Zermatt is another famous ski destination. What makes them different? “Um… People!” Zermatt has this unique mountain, the Matterhorn, which attracts tourists. Here, it’s more the old families, like the Guccis, who come on vacation,” explains Mr. Thöni. Well seen !
Between Saint-Moritz and Zermatt runs an emblematic train of the country, the Glacier Express (read Little train goes far slowly), and it is he who leads us to the foot of the mountain which gave its shape to Toblerone chocolate!
Instantly fell in love with this village “without gasoline or cars” since 1947. In the shadow of the “great peak” (its silhouette always seems in our field of vision), we explore Hinterdorfstrasse, a small street which lines up the “ “racks” of wood from yesteryear, attics placed on stone scaffolding to thwart rodents. We then take the new local wonder, the Matterhorn Alpine Crossing, the highest alpine crossing in Europe, from the Matterhorn Glacier Paradise on the Little Matterhorn (3883 m), where 38 giants over 4000 meters, and up to the Mont-Blanc massif, in France, catches our eye. Since last July, this cable car route has allowed everyone, skiers and contemplatives, to reach the Plateau Rosa/Testa Grigia (3480 m), on the Swiss-Italian border. So, from December 2, the opening date of the ski season, we will then be able to hurtle down the slopes to Breuil-Cervinia, in Italy, or go down there… by cable car. Let’s admit that this will also surprise you!
Carolyne Parent was the guest of Suisse Tourisme.
Little train goes far, slowly
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