Lakes Trail - Sankt Moritz

Departure: St. Moritz station (1822m)

Joints:

1) ST. MORITZ – SURLEJ

'We inform the kind travelers that we are arriving at st. Moritz station: end of the train ride'. Taking your eyes off the window (the front door of a panorama that a few minutes before made us taste woods, waterfalls, glaciers and much more) is not at all simple. But, once we got off the wagon, a view of equal beauty awaits us. The water is a green color tending to blue. In the background the Piz Muragl seems to greet and invite us to know the spires of the Bernina. A light breeze barely moves the waters of Lake San Maurizio. To complete the work the hand of man: the lower area of St. Moritz, bourgeois, and the high, elitist and glamorous, geometrically divided by the Grand Hotel Kempinski and the Casino. Photo. We can, at this point, start walking along the comfortable cycle and pedestrian path that circumnavigates Lake San Maurizio and note, right away, a negative note: to make the Swiss town more accessible to the wallet of as many people as possible, in the eastern area it has built too much and badly. Too bad. The Olympic trampoline, the scene of five-circle winter challenges in the years 1928 and 1948, accompanies the tourist outside the town introducing him to the second lake: the Lej Marsch. Despite the altitude, its waters attract every summer lovers of the sun and swimming on the high ground: thanks, in fact, to its position sheltered from the wind it is very pleasant to linger, both in the water and on the shore, despite the cold air that blows at that altitude. Consumed a quick bath (for those who wish), we put back the boots, companions of a thousand adventures, and continue on the path, which after not even a kilometer descends to the third body of water: the Lej Champfer. As on the threshold of that dwelling that is the Engadine, from here you can see everything it has to offer us. We are close to the first stage of the route: the Surlej Bridge. Urban divider between the aforementioned and the last lake that will frame the rest of the excursion: the Lej of Silvaplana.

2) SURLEJ – SILS MARIA

On the left the waters of the Lej Champfer, on the right those of the Lej of Silvaplana, we in the middle. All dominated by the 3451m of Piz Corvatsch (reachable by cable car). Perhaps the 'Destination Paradise' sung by Gianluca Grignani is in front of our eyes. Or, more realistically, the time has come to immerse yourself in the places of Giovanni Segantini's fairy tales and landscapes. In the direction of 'Sils', the castle 'Crap da Sass' starts the path that runs along Lake Silvaplana. Built in 1906 by the German general Graf von der Lippe, it is one of the most important examples of late-ancient architecture in Graubünden. The trek, between fir and larch woods and a constant and relaxing slope by the lake, leads in an abundant hour to the valley station of the Furtschellas, where another cable car, in about ten minutes, leads to the homonymous summit. Asphalt, brick and concrete now begin to make their way. The lake is behind us. Here we are in Sils im Engadin! Although the trip ended from the point of view of hiking life, it is important to conclude by emphasizing two aspects of this characteristic Swiss village: one historical-philosophical and the other purely gastronomic. As for the first, it is interesting to know that the philosopher Nietsche lived here. He chose a rustic house in the village of Sils Maria and, for one franc a day, rented a room, while the nearby hotel provided for his meals. One afternoon, while making his way through the woods of Silvaplana, he sat next to a large rock formation – today dedicated to his memory – and here he found the ecstasy of the Eternal Return. Finally, to delight the palate and conclude the excursion with a 'diesci' of Borghesiana memory the name is only one: 'Bäckerei & Konditorei Furnaria Grond' (via Traviers, 3).

This concludes the trek of the '4 lakes'. Naturalistic itinerary within everyone's reach that leaves the Engadine in the heart of those who will welcome it in themselves as it does with the sun that illuminates it all year round.

Arrival: Sils im Engadin (1803m)

• Swimsuit and food always with you! the grill points are many, as well as the possibilities to immerse yourself in the verdant alpine waters at almost 2000 meters.
• Nietzsche's home! Visit it: it is useful to understand the reason for so many aspects of the thought of the German philosopher and, above all, how this village in the Engadine has contributed to developing them.
• 'Bäckerei & Konditorei Furnaria Grond' (via Traviers, 3)! make your belly a hut in this pastry shop with almost endless choice.