Palazzo Salis (Soglio)

Soglio is a village on a sunny terrace high above the Val Bregaglia, in the south of Graubünden, close to the Italian border, and it has long been regarded as one of the most beautiful villages in the Alps. The name in Italian recalls the word for a threshold, and the painter Giovanni Segantini, who knew the region well, is remembered for describing it in famous words as a gateway to a more perfect place. The village lies at about 1,090 metres, facing the high granite peaks of the Sciora group and the Piz Badile across the valley, and its huddled stone houses, narrow lanes and chestnut groves give it a Mediterranean feel despite the mountains. The language here is Italian, and the climate is mild enough for chestnuts and even a few fig trees in sheltered corners.

The Palazzo Salis is the finest building in the village, a grand house built in the seventeenth century for the Salis family, one of the most powerful families in Graubünden. The Salis rose to prominence as soldiers, diplomats and landowners, and several branches of the family built palaces in the Bregaglia and beyond. The palazzo at Soglio, with its thick walls, tall windows and carved stone details, is a good example of Baroque domestic architecture in the Alps, and it is surrounded by a garden of old trees, flower beds and terraces that look over the valley. The building has been used as a guesthouse since the nineteenth century, and it is still run as a hotel, with interiors that retain painted ceilings, tiled stoves and old furniture, which gives visitors a sense of how a noble family lived in the mountains. Rainer Maria Rilke stayed in Soglio in 1919, and the village has attracted artists and writers ever since.

The garden is an attraction in itself. It is laid out in a romantic manner, with winding paths and shady corners, and it contains rare and exotic trees that were planted in the nineteenth century, when plant collecting was fashionable among wealthy families. A giant sequoia, a tree native to California, is among them and dominates the garden. The terrace offers a view across the valley to the mountains, and in the evening, the granite peaks turn pink in the last light.

Visitors who are not guests can usually see the exterior and the garden, depending on the season and the hotel's rules, and sometimes the interior is open for exhibitions or events, though this varies, so ask in advance. Elsewhere in the village, the Reformed church of San Lorenzo, with its leaning tower, and the lanes of the old centre are worth exploring, and the Casa Console, a small museum, lies nearby. The Via Panoramica, a walking route, runs through the chestnut woods along the valley slope, linking Soglio with neighbouring villages, and is one of the best-known walks in the region.

Soglio is reached by a postal bus from Promontogno, in the valley, which winds up the hill, and the road is narrow, so a bus is often easier than driving. The village suits couples, walkers, art lovers and anyone who enjoys quiet places. Allow a half day for the village, garden and a short walk. Check opening details for the palazzo and the museum, and book accommodation early in the season.