Engadiner sgraffito art in Samedan, Switzerland

In Samedan, a beautiful village in Swiss Engadin, decorating your house exterior is an art. The "scratches" on the walls are true artwork, named Sgraffito. Samedan has many ancient Engadiner mansions showing off this art form, so a walk through the streets and alleys is a rewarding cultural experience.
We meet Peter Buzzetti who shows us the tricks of the sgraffito trade. The practice typically passes from father to son and with Peter this was no exception. Besides designing the various motifs you need a lot of material knowledge. And chromatics is another field you need to master.
The various colours are mixed until the right coating and structures are found. A number of basic substances meanwhile are on the forbidden list but Peter has a special permit that allows him to work with them.
It is a bit like stucco but different. After applying the stucco there is less than an hour to talk about life.
Sgraffito is the art of scratching - but it has to be right the first time. The hour has passed, the material has hardened and the demonstration on the flat table starts. Naturally Peter normally carries out these activities directly on the walls of the Engadiner houses.
To round off we go to Samedan together one more time to look at the sgraffito now with the eye of an expert.
- Officially designated by UNESCO as World Heritage Site, Albula and Bernina lines of the Rhaetian Railway are to be safeguarded for the future as a testimony to its enduring past. The sites are considered to be unique of universal value for all mankind.