La Panoramica

Some 20 miles north of Lake Como lies Bregaglia, the Swiss valley where Alberto Giacometti was born. We drove over in a rental car early on a Saturday morning to hike the "La Panoramica" trail.

Near the town of Soglio, we saw a number of Japanese artists at work. They had sketching materials and tiny folding chairs, which were sized just for me. Some used oils, some charcoals, some pencils. Mom looked over their shoulders. One picture was a charcoal sketching of the town where the artist drew the mountains to look like town church spires.

I barked at one of the painters to show my appreciation of his drawing of Pizzo Badile.

My parents took this as bad form and reprimanded me. But my yip was meant as a joyous accolade.

"La Panoramica" winds up and down the mountainside and passes by several waterfalls.

Several sections have stairs.

Hikers on "La Panoramica" were different from the intense alpine trekkers we often meet. More relaxed. One man asked, in German, if the hike was too much for me. I appreciated his concern, but he doesn’t know how far these four short legs can take me.

I met several dogs, and one asked for my phone number. I also ran into the Cheshire cat just outside his Swiss residence in the hamlet of Roticcio.