I began writing my latest novel, Letter from a Cave, back in 2019 before the pandemic. The action takes place in Italy and in Switzerland in an area near the Italian/Swiss border I was unfamiliar with and which I intended to visit. Well, Covid and the related travel restrictions upended those plans.
Fortunately, I have a good friend in Switzerland, Silvia Delorenzi, who was familiar with that part of the canton Grisons, the so-called Hinterrhein Valley. Thanks to her invaluable comments and corrections, I managed to finish the manuscript from afar.
In September 2022, together with Silvia and her husband, Curzio, I was finally able to visit the villages of Andeer and Splügen, the Splügenpass and the San Bernardino Pass. We spent some time walking through the quaint villages, exploring the beautiful landscape, and having a delicious lunch at the restaurant Weisses Kreuz (White Cross), which also appears in my novel. Our visit confirmed most of the information and fortunately, I had to make just a few adjustments. Thank you again, Silvia and Curzio, for your help!
Here are a few pictures and a blurb of Letter from a Cave:
Andreas, a Swiss sculptor and stonemason, lost his wife in an accident three years ago. Still grieving, he seeks solace on long hikes in the Swiss mountains. Overcome by a thunderstorm one evening, he takes shelter in a cave where he finds an old, abandoned backpack underneath rocks and stones. Hidden in it are an Italian passport, a photo of a young woman, an envelope with a letter inside dated December 1943, written by a Jewish refugee during the Second World War to his young, pregnant wife in Italy.
Overwhelmed and inspired by the longing and love expressed in the letter, Andreas is determined to find out what happened to the man, why he hadn’t sent the letter, and whether his wife, Bella, and her family in Italy are still alive after all these years. Together with Luisa, his friend and owner of a vineyard in Tuscany, he sets out on a quest through Italy to find any signs of Bella or her family. During their search, they meet both helpful people and those who try to prevent them, even by force, from digging into a past filled with heroism but also with cruelty and betrayal.
Will the quest to find Bella and her family bring closure for them as well as for Andreas, or will it cause more turmoil and heartache?
The village of Splügen and the surrounding area. Splügenpass is the name of the mountain and the road across it.
Typical houses of the area, lovingly decorated with art works and lots of flowers
History in action: Via Spluga, now a beloved hiking path, was the main link between the canton Grisons in Switzerland and towns and villages in Italy for many centuries. It was used by pack drivers and tradesmen who crossed the Alps to transport their goods (and ideas) from North to South. It begins in the town of Thusis and leads through the breathtaking Viamala Gorge, the Roffla Gorge, the villages of Andeer and Splügen among others all the way to the top of the Spügenpass and down to Isola and Chiavenna in Italy.
Via Spluga is also the favorite hiking path for Andreas, the protagonist in Letter from a Cave, where he finds the mysterious letter that changes his life.
And here we are in the village of Andeer, the residence of Andreas and Emilia, his youngest daughter, who is a veterinarian.
The decorations in the photo above and below are typical carvings on many of the houses in the canton Grisons (or Graubünden in German). The technique is called Sgraffito. The name comes from the Italian word sgraffiare or graffiare, meaning “scratch” or “scratching,” a form of decoration made by scratching through a surface to reveal a lower layer of a contrasting color. It’s typically done in plaster or stucco on walls or on ceramics before firing.
An old wooden bridge over the Rhein river; this part of the river is called the “Hinterrhein.”
Andeer is also home to a well-known mineral bath, a perfect place to soothe sore muscles after a long hike in the beautiful surrounding mountains.
Below is the restaurant Weisses Kreuz (White Cross), which also features in the novel. It’s a favorite hang-out for Andreas and his family.
And of course, my friends and I had to try their excellent cuisine and wines!
I ordered one of Andreas’ favorites–Cordon Bleu with French Fries and Salad.
It was excellent!
This journey through the landscape and villages featured in my new novel was both instructive and enjoyable. Thank you Silvia and Curzio for your support.
The novel just came back from my fabulous and meticulous editor, Linda Cassidy Lewis. That means back to work for me, so that Letter from a Cave can finally be finished and, eventually, published. I’ll keep you posted!
