Stampa reveals several tangible traces of Giacometti: a photographic walk documents Alberto Giacometti’s final stays in his native Bergell in 44 black-and-white photographs, some of which had never been published before. There is also the history of a studio, family milestones and archaeological evidence. When planning your visit, it is worth keeping these highlights distinct: the photo walk follows the photographs and their locations, while cultural walks connect other stops.

Photo walk and precise locations

A map insert helps you find the exact locations featured in the Alberto Giacometti photo walk. It suggests a documented walk through Stampa to Alberto Giacometti’s grave in the San Giorgio cemetery near Borgonovo. This keeps the focus on the photographs and the locations mentioned, without equating the walk with the other cultural routes. The walk is freely accessible; check the latest information before your visit.

Studio history and family connections

In 1906, a small stable in the centre of Stampa was converted into a studio at the initiative of Giovanni Giacometti. His wife Annetta and his children often modelled for him there. After Giovanni’s death in 1933, his son Alberto used the studio. This sequence connects the place with different periods of the family’s history: the conversion of the stable, Giovanni’s work with his family, and its later use by Alberto.

The Atelier Giacometti, the house where Alberto Giacometti grew up, and the Centro Giacometti are located in the village centre. For Giovanni, Augusto, Alberto and Diego Giacometti, Stampa was a constant point of connection. A distinction is especially worthwhile in Alberto’s case: the birthplace mentioned in Borgonovo and the house where he spent his childhood in Stampa mark different stages of his life.

Cultural walks and their stops

A cultural walk leads from Stampa through Coltura and Borgonovo to the Ciäsa Granda Museum. Ciäsa Granda is an ethnographic museum; works by several members of the Giacometti family are on display there. The route thus connects several named places and ends at a museum whose collection also has a connection to the artist family.

Another cultural walk includes Palazzo Castelmur and the Church of San Pietro. The church contains a fresco by Augusto Giacometti dating from 1743. In Borgonovo, the walk points out the birthplaces of Alberto and Diego Giacometti, as well as Annette Stampa. On the way back to Stampa, it passes the Church of San Giorgio, where family members are buried.

Sentiero Giacometti, churches and the bathtub tomb

The Sentiero Giacometti leads from Borgonovo and San Giorgio via Creista, Samarovan, Coltura, San Pietro and Palü to Stampa. It brings to life settings and stories that are significant to twentieth-century art far beyond the country’s borders. In Borgonovo, the Church of San Giorgio was rebuilt in 1694; its interior contains a stained-glass window by Augusto Giacometti. The route can also be considered in terms of its connections to places and art.

The so-called bathtub tomb of Stampa is in the hamlet of Palü, directly on the southern bank of the Mera, which flows through Bergell. It is the only known tomb of this kind in Switzerland. Alongside biographies, studios and art routes, this adds an archaeological site as a distinct cultural highlight.

To help you choose, consider whether you are most interested in following the photographic locations, tracing the Giacomettis’ life stories, or discovering several cultural sites on a walk. The routes described here each have a different focus; the bathtub tomb adds an archaeological dimension.

Discover more destinations

Samedan, St. Moritz, Bondo Gr, Zuoz, Sils/Segl Baselgia, La Punt-Chamues-Ch, Surlej, Casaccia

For the higher-level travel overview: Maloja.