Grevasalvas

Grevasalvas is a cluster of stone and timber huts sitting on a sunny shelf at 1,940 metres, high above Lake Sils. It was a seasonal settlement where Bergell farming families brought cattle up for the summer, though people lived here year round in the Middle Ages. Now most of the huts are private holiday houses, so keep to the path that runs through the middle. The Heidi series was filmed here in 1978, which is why you'll still meet walkers who came to Switzerland mainly to see it. The views down the hillside over the village are breathtaking so make sure to follow the path through the village and shoot it from above with the peaks stacked up behind. If you are lucky you might even be able to add some cows grazing out in the grass through July and August. The hillside catches sun most of the day, though early and late light still give the meadows a peaceful feel. Plaun da Lej climbs from the lakeside up through the trees and runs right into the hamlet. To use the alpine roads here you need a permit so visitors and tourists walk along the road, about an hour and a half return, or come across on longer hike using the Via Engiadina trail from Maloja. This is a seasonal village so its best to plan on coming in summer, the huts are shuttered and the paths are hidden under snow the rest of the year. (Sils im Engadin/Segl, Graubünden, Switzerland)