Tag Archives: Pizza

Graubunden Wrap-up

30 Sep

30 September 2025.

From the heights of Graubünden to the lowlands of the Rhine River Valley, tonight we are sleeping 5000 feet lower than we have for two weeks. We are now in Basel with explorations in three countries planned for the next two weeks.

But first, a wrap-up on our time in Samedan.

Architecture

Graubünden sports distinctive architecture. The walls are very thick — up to two feet — in the traditional buildings to conserve heat in the winter, so the windows are often set in deep recesses. The houses are decorated, sometimes in the form of words, often geometric designs called sgraffito, and occasionally paintings. It seems like every building has a name: Chesa dals Tres Frers (House of Three Brothers) or Chesa Manzoni (Manzoni’s House). Chesa is pronounced CHESS-ah in Romansh, by the way. The town was first mentioned in writing in 1130 and some houses we saw date back to the 15th Century. Not only do the old buildings sport a date built, but the dates of renovation are on display. Click on any photo for a better look.

Top Row: Village church and house with sgraffitti; One of the older buildings; My favorite window in Samedan.

Bottom Row: Close up of dates of original construction and renovation; Heavily sgraffitted building; Very Deep-set window.

Language

Romansh is still used in this canton, more than elsewhere in Switzerland, but the canton’s official languages are Romansh, Italian, and German. I like to trot out my limited skills if only to be polite. Starting with German, I’ll say “Ich spreche nur ein bischen Deutsch. Sprechen Sie Englisch oder Italianisch?” About 50% of the time, Italian works but it is clear most people speak some, if not fluent, English especially in restaurants and ticket offices.

Samedan is not “touristy” in the sense that nearby St. Moritz and Pontresina are. It is far less touristed than our beloved Lauterbrunnen Valley and the Greater Jungfrau Region. But then it is more time consuming to get here. Winter is another story when the ski hoards descend on the area. A person in St. Moritz said it’s crazy with famous and wealthy people all winter long.

Pizza Venerdi Returns

As is our habit when traveling, pizza every Friday (Venerdi in Italian). We have had marvelous pies in this Italy-adjacent canton. We journeyed from Samedan to neighboring Celerina for one Friday feast at Pizzeria Cresta Run and to Pontresina at Riccardo’s for the second.

One of my favorite things is taking a train to dinner and that was possible to both villages. The proximity of Italy and the Italian-ness of the Val Poschiavo in South Graubünden contribute to authenticity in the food.

From Top Left: Pizzeria Cresta Run at dusk; Ric’s Pizza Popeye with spinach, egg, and mascarpone at Cresta Run; At Riccardo’s, my pizza with prosciutto crude, cherry tomatoes, and basil; Ric’s with eggplant (it tasted like eggplant Parmesan; The pizzaiola at work.

Easy-Hiking and Sunday Lunch

Paths to Lunch and easy hiking have been the theme of our stay. We just don’t do the elevations that we used to do, and no tricky footing, please. (Downhill is evil according to my knees and hips.) Switzerland delivers and is, indeed, attuned to those of us who cannot climb the mountains or do not want to clamber up steep elevations. The Swiss Mobility website even features Obstacle-free routes in addition to routes as long and as challenging as you care to tackle. It took a few days for us to become accustomed to even small hills and the steep streets in Samedan, but we did manage some terrific view hikes

In addition to the outing a couple of weeks again (See A Path to Cappuccino and Lunch), we had a delightful Sunday lunch at Laj de Staz, where there is no vehicle access. Barely a 30-minute walk from upscale St. Moritz one finds rustic but gourmet cuisine in a charming rural environment between forest and lake. Our porcini (now in season!) risotto was outstanding. It almost made up for the fierce wind we had to endure while walking. Luckily, the restaurant was mostly sheltered.

Porcini Risotto; The view toward St. Moritz from the path; Restaurant Laj de Staz

Another delightful lunch outing sent us on a 2.5-mile undulating one-way trek past grazing cattle and sheep, through a forest above a quirky golf course with views to passing trains, nearby towns, and snow-dusted mountains. Lunch was at the golf course, Restorant Sur En, followed by a 2.5-mile return walk, this time flat and along the river. See the details here Golf Course Hike (the name is mine, for simplicity).

That was on Saturday, but Sunday demands a proper lunch outing when we are traveling and last Sunday we found the delightful Gravatscha-Innauen Route with Restaurant Piste 21 half-way through, to be a perfect combo. This was the first truly sunny day in a week, and we wanted to take advantage of it. Although it was only about 50 degrees Fahrenheit, it was a fabulous, sunny, wind free day. Lots of cyclists and a few walkers were taking advantage of a vast network of trails. The restaurant is a gem, blending into the landscape, rustic but elegant, serving beautiful, fresh food. To be repeated.

Lake Gravatscha; Interior of Piste 21; My capuns, a local specialty. I needed a statin after eating it.

Two weeks flew by for us. It was not go-go-go every day. We no longer travel that way. We like to settle in, get to know a place, do some exploring, and exercise enough to ward off weight gain.

We had a perfect apartment in Samedan, found through a local tourism site. Constructed in 1975 and recently modernized with a sleek kitchen, 1+1/2 baths, excellent WiFi, an elevator (we hate hauling luggage up stairs) and a shared washer in the basement. Very nicely curated with artwork, a cozy throw on the couch, beautiful duvets, chairs in the bedroom (I wish more places thought of that), and plenty of horizontal surfaces and electrical outlets, which we appreciate. There is a Nespresso for coffee, high on the list of accouterments I look for in self-catering accommodations. I highly recommend Anna’s cute place Crasta im Dorfkern. The host picked us up at the train station, too, a kindness we seldom encounter.

Now we are in Basel in another cute apartment, where we will spend two weeks enjoying the tri-country area. Looking forward to day trips to the Black Forest, the Alsace, the Cité du Train in Mulhouse, and finally getting to Strasbourg after missing it the last time we were nearby. If any readers have favorite things to do in the wider Basel area — especially if they are doable by train or bus — please let me know. Might rent a car for a few days. We will see how brave I am feeling.

Tschüss! Ciao! A revair!

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Pizza Venerdi: On-the-road

23 Sep

23 September 2023.

Equinox greetings to you! Fall is upon us as the weather has cooled here in the Berner Oberland and the trees have just been touched with bits of yellow and gold promising a lovely display in the weeks to come. There has been ample rain so the trees are not stressed. I have great hopes for good color! 

But pizza is the topic today. We have revived the Pizza Venerdi (Pizza Friday) tradition of our days in Rome for the past five Fridays. While we are not in Italy, all five have been superior to the pizza we get near our home, but then the pizzaioli are from Italy and know what they are doing. 

Pizza for two and a bottle of Italian wine on a pedestrian alley in Annecy, France.
I ragazzi (the guys) in the kitchen at Sapaudia, Annecy, France.
In Kandersteg we enjoyed pizza at the Chalet Hotel Adler. Third year we’ve had their pizza and it is excellent thanks to the Italian cooks. Our friends Gene and Cathy journeyed over from Lauterbrunnen to join us for pizza, beer, and a walk in the Kandersteg Valley on a very warm afternoon.
My son called this a crime against humanity. I discovered pizza with salmon when we lived in Italy and I get it whenever I am able. It’s best with Gorgonzola and arugula but the mascarpone, capers, and onions were nice, too. In Pontresina at Nostra Pizzeria.

Last night we welcomed our dear friends John & Janet to Lauterbrunnen and took them up the mountain by train to dinner in Wengen at Maya Caprice. A good time was had by all.

Pizza Maya from Maya Caprice. Spicy salami, Gorgonzola, and red onions. The crust was perfection!

We have three more times to celebrate Pizza Venerdi here in Switzerland. Stay tuned!

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Walking Wengen: Easy Hikes with Fabulous Views

26 May

27 May 2023.

It was with some reluctance that we stayed in Wengen this trip. As our plans were made only a few days in advance, finding a suitable apartment in one of the three villages boiled down to only a few choices that we could gulp and swallow the price on. 

Wengen’s Main Street: a few shops and restaurants along with several hotels, nestled beneath the Jungfrau.

Luckily, the apartment is comfortable and has all we need: dishwasher, washing machine, clothes dryer, and, most importantly, a Nespresso machine. It is also quiet since the village is car-free and each morning we wake to birdsong. We are immune to the hourly tolling of the church bells nearby as we fall into bed very tired from the day’s activities. 

Our reluctance to stay in Wengen stemmed from the need to ride the train down and up from the Lauterbrunnen station every day. While it is less than 20 minutes each way, it does add to travel times when going to Interlaken, Grindelwald, Mürren and beyond. It is, however, a stunningly beautiful ride and, after all, what else do we have to do? 

I took this photo of Lauterbrunnen from the train on our way back to Wengen yesterday.

On the plus side, we have gotten to know Wengen just a bit better. Prior trips had us passing through on the way to-or-from the Männlichen cable car. We had eaten a couple of meals here and years ago Ric once bought a wool hiking hat that still makes every trip. In the past we’ve taken in the view from the church and enjoyed two walks — Mönchblick and Staubbachbänkli — that we wrote about in our book Walking in Switzerland’s Berner Oberland. Our temporary residency has led us to “discover” two more lovely walks as well as the fabulous Restaurant Maya Caprice and we have come to appreciate the silence of this car-free zone. 

Same waterfall, viewed from Hunneflue, above Wengen after a 25 minute walk.

We still love Lauterbrunnen and our happy home at James’ and Michele’s apartment, where we will pass a month again this fall. Wengen will also be on our list for a few outings in the fall.

For those visiting the area, be certain to stop at the Wengen Tourism Office next to the cable car station and pick up the Dorfplan, which is a little map of the village showing several very easy to moderate walks to viewpoints. These require no transportation and are lovely at any time of day with ever-changing lighting on the magnificent views. They will take you to corners of Wengen the casual visitor misses entirely as the majority are focused on the village center and getting up the mountains by train or cable car. Most of the paths are paved and many have lighting so that evening walks are feasible. 

No wonder we come back so often. There is always something new for the easy-hiker to discover.

Along the trail, a little bear cub carved into a tree stump.
One of three carved tree stumps that delighted us on our walk.
A playful project in a mossy area, a hidden treasure when you leave the Main Street.
Another part of the fanciful garden.
Ric is ready to dig in! An Italian pizzaiolo makes authentic Neopolitan pies at Maya Caprice in Wengen.

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What I dread about returning to the U.S.

23 Oct
22 October 2016. I listed my beefs with Roma the other day. Turnabout is fair play, so here are the things I am not looking forward to in gli stati uniti.
  • Having to fly to go to Europe. How we have loved jumping on trains! 10 hours or more on a plane is not fun, even in Business Class. When we come back to visit, we will take long trips (we have time!) to make the flights worthwhile. In the meantime, I am overusing my United Mileage Plus Visa to accrue as many points as possible. I wonder if we can charge a house?

  • Incredible choice of squash, and the pumpkins--of various kinds--taste amazing, as does everything.

    Incredible choice of squash, and the pumpkins–of various kinds–taste amazing, as does everything.

    Food additives, wooden produce, and high prices. Food in Italy tastes like it should taste. Red peppers zing, potatoes require no butter for flavor, and the overall need for everything from basil to thyme is minimal because the produce is so darn flavorful. In the U.S. we wax our fruits and veggies to preserve them, and God-knows-what is done to cattle and chickens. I am hoping that between the Farmer’s Market and Nature’s Foods I can find good organic stuff. It will cost significantly more to feed us than it has in Italy. I shudder to think of what wine costs in the U.S! And good olive oil!
  • Car-orientation and having to drive again. Yes, the buses in Rome are problematic, but it is possible — even desirable — to live without a car. Unless we want to live in a 700 square foot condo in downtown Portland, we’re going to have to buy a car. It just is not feasible to depend on buses, light rail, and trains. Ric has not driven in 3 1/2 years, and I have not done so in 18 months. We may have to have our son take us to a big parking lot and give us driving lessons.
  • Few trains. Sniff.

    Now THAT's Italian...Pizzeria Al Forno della Soffita.

    Now THAT’s Italian…Pizzeria Al Forno della Soffita.

  • Pizza. Papa Murphy’s Take-and-Bake will no longer cut it. There is good pizza in Portland: Apizza Scholls and Ken’s Artisan Pizza are renowned, with wood-fired pizzas and high-quality ingredients, but you have to line up about 17:00 to get in. We can barely stand to eat before 20:00 anymore. Nostrana has great pizza, too, but costo molto!
  • Eating dinner at 18:00. In Portland, we used to go out on Saturday night and leave the house at 17:30 so we could get a table without a reservation. Now at 18:00 I can barely think about eating except on occasion a little aperitivo. We like to sit down at a restaurant between 20:00 and 21:00. Even eating at home we seldom tuck in before 20:00. By 20:00 in Portland, most restaurants are thinking about shutting down the kitchen. The afternoon just seems longer and more useful when you aren’t thinking about dinner at 17:00. 
  • Lack of social outdoor life. As much as the sidewalk traffic in Roma can make me crazy, I do love the passeggiata tradition in Italy. It is most fun in the smaller towns. Take a walk, have a coffee or an aperitivo, do some shopping or just lick the windows, as the French say. In Paris, there are the terraces and in London the pubs. In Roma, we have the tiny bars. It is an excellent pre-dinner habit to take a walk, sit with friends and visit. In the U.S., we all pull into our homes using an automatic garage door opener and settle in without chatting up the neighbors. 

    Giant cappuccino in the U.S. The Italian version costs us about €1.20, even sitting down at our neighborhood place. It is JUST RIGHT.

    Giant cappuccino in the U.S. The Italian version costs us about €1.20, even sitting down at our neighborhood place. It is JUST RIGHT.

  • Giant cappuccini. No, I did not mistype. cappuccini is the plural of cappuccino. I think I will have to order the child-size. No one needs 12 ounces of milk to one ounce of espresso. 
Maintaining our Italian lifestyle after our return is going to be about as difficult as playing darts with spaghetti. We shall persevere and let you know how it is going. Four days until we fly!!!

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Pizza addicts

1 Feb
As many of you know, pizza is a major food group – and always has been – for Ric. 
Spring 2013 at Dar Poeta.
Spring 2013 at Dar Poeta.
When I met Ric in 1984, I thought pizza was a once-in-awhile treat, something eaten at Pizza Hut, for a child’s birthday party, or all-too-often pizza at my house was a frozen one from Totino’s consumed as Sunday night supper. Marrying Ric changed my ways. I don’t always make the bed in the morning, especially if one of the cats is sleeping on it, and now I know that pizza is nature’s most perfect food, meant to be consumed at least weekly.
Moving to Italy added a layer of adventure and charm to our pizza eating. As we eat at least 52 pizzas a year, I thought documenting the journey a worthy endeavor both for us (“Where did we eat last weekend?”) and for those who dream of eating pizza all over Italy. I hope you will join the journey and click on over to my newest blog, Our Weekly Pizza.
Buon appetito!

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