Lara Boninchi Lopes

For me the Valposchiavo represents a tiny spot hugging the southern Alpine flank that never fails to surprise. The valley fascinates me above all for its architecture and its varied cultural offerings that are characterized by their typically open and friendly authenticity. On the street one is always greeted with a smile from the heart and a warm “bundì“.

“Al ciürlu“ is an almost forgotten term in our dialect. My grandfather used it for his coffee. „Nina, porta scià al ciürlu“ (Nina bring my coffee) his hearty voice would call out to my grandmother Andreina. The heady perfume of his steaming coffee cup in the “stüa pusc’ciavina“ (the typical paneled parlour) stays with me still.

My grandfather Egidio Crameri, nicknamed “Felpa“, was a gifted mason. He cut roofing tiles out of serpentine in his quarry. They covered roofs all over the valley.

My family has worked in stone for three generations now and our knowledge and skill has been passed faithfully from generation to generation. We are artists: the men patiently work the stone with devotion and skill and the women design and assemble the jewelry that they sell in our shop Stone-Art close to Poschiavo’s main square.

I close my eyes and visualize the colours and the veins in the various stones. My pencil skims the paper and sketches the first idea for a necklace that incorporates the whole history of the valley.

My last creation is a colourful melody of stones from our mountains, a necklace that unites all the beauty, the colours, the nuances and the strength of our stones. From the raw material to the finished product, it’s all from the Valposchiavo. Stone-Art produces here and fully respects our environment.

It is difficult to say which of all the stones is my favorite: I love the dark green sheen of serpentine, the soft nuances of Sassalbo marble , the luminosity of our nephrite jade and the forthright strength of Palü granite.