Ticino and the Grisons(Graubunden ) border near Lago Maggiore

We were very lucky that my daughter's friend offered us to rent their holiday house for a very low price. It was located in the Salanca valley near the Grisons(Graubunden) border. We had a wonderful car ride through southern Germany and later enjoyed the view of the huge Gotthard massive mountain range.  The tunnel was long and boring but we were very happy as we reached the other end, the maritime side of the Alps.

We arrived at our destination after it was dark and it was quite cold compared to the Mainz summer. But the view was breath-taking and I took a walk everyday. Just on our last day we had a typical local dish in a local restaurant on top of the hill. As usual we saved nearby locations until the last day.

This small village was called Santa Maria in Calanca nameď after the beautiful church Santa Maria. People were laughing about well-fed American ladies who arrived exhausted and puffing after the pilgrimage up the hill to Calanca. The language spoken here was Italian with a for me unfamiliar accent.

Due to the closeness of the Italian Lago Maggiore, we made a couple of trips to this wonderful area and explored the nearby valleys. It is a very expensive area but we enjoyed every day and every valley we could pass through. The Luino market was beautiful but a little bit too touristy, the Bellinzona market was less  swamped but we would never forget the fine cheese and meat products we could buy there.

 Litte tip: Come early to the market to enjoy it and find proper parking for your car

On the last day in Santa Maria we went up the hill to the grotto or restaurant and enjoyed a local dish

The weather was nice enough and I felt free and satisfied as I walked down the hill and took photos 

Coming closer to Santa Maria in the calanca valley I just realise how beautiful the place was

We went to the bellinzona Market and bought so many local specialties that I don't remember the name of

This was the valley next to Santa Maria where we were impressed by the beautiful murals

Before we entered the Gotthard tunnel to drive through the Gotthard massive mountain range

When we look back to the Gotthard massiv once we arrived at the maritime side of the Alps