Maloja

Maloja is a small mountain village in the Upper Engadine, in the Swiss canton of Graubünden, sitting at the top of the Maloja Pass that links the Engadine valley to the Bregaglia valley and on into Italy. The village marks the source of the River Inn and lies close to Lake Sils, one of the region's best-known bodies of water. Maloja is known for a distinctive weather phenomenon, the so-called Maloja Snake, a long cloud formation that stretches along the valley in calm conditions. The area has long attracted painters, including Giovanni Segantini, who lived and worked nearby. The village serves as a popular starting point for summer hiking, with trails leading towards the Engadine lakes and surrounding ridges, as well as for cross-country skiing and snowshoeing in winter. Local architecture combines traditional Engadine buildings with some historic structures linked to nineteenth-century tourism. Its proximity to St Moritz and Sils-Maria makes it easy to combine a quiet stay with access to the wider tourist infrastructure of the Upper Engadine.