After the South of France and Italy, it was time for a change of scenery and I made my way towards the Swiss mountains. After leaving Chiavenna, I was held up for more than an hour at the Italian-Swiss border by an overzealous young customs officer. I’ll spare you the details but I almost gave up and turned round. Finally, I was on my way again, passing my beloved Engadin, and made a short stop in Stampa, the village where the world-famous sculptor Alberto Giacometti grew up and had one of his studios which you still can visit today. I continued my trip through the Maloja Pass and St Moritz, then Pontresina and the spectacular Bernina Pass, arriving late at my next stop–the Hotel Albrici in Poschiavo, a place of national significance. I discovered this beautiful old palazzo turned hotel for the first time some years ago when we stopped for lunch during a classic car rally and I promised to come back. The Albrici lies on the Piazza Comunale in the middle of Poschiavo. Its historic and cultural importance and architecture are extraordinary. The imposing edifice was built by the mayor, Bernardo Massella, in 1682 as an impressive residential home with exceptional, sumptuously decorated rooms. One of Hotel Albrici’s most interesting features is the ‘Room of the Sibyls’ named after a set of twelve oil paintings of the mythological oracles. It is thought that the owner at the time, Baron de Bassus, brought the collection from Germany. Historic wooden panelling reaches twothirds of the way up the walls of the room. In 1828 the palace was sold to the Albrici family and it was remodelled into a hotel twenty years later. The current owners acquired the hotel in 2004 and have worked passionately to preserve the historic rooms. The interiors still show how in the past noble families tried to impress their peers. The most recent renovation of the guest rooms respected the hotel’s history. For me it’s a wonderful little gem, located in the beautiful Poschiavo Valley and surrounded by majestic mountains and so it will not be a surprise that this area is frequented by real nature lovers. All this and the fact that the Albrici has wonderful cuisine–do not miss is the buckwheat gnocchi with porcini in a Poschiavo cheese sauce–and an amazing international wine list, really makes you regret leaving.