Soglio, view from the east. Coloured steel engraving by Ludwig Rohbock, before 1861
alma, born 1797
A Chapter From a Swiss Family SAGA
At the start of the 19th century, in the Val Bregaglia in southern Switzerland, life is hard for the young widow Alma and her little daughter Lisabetta. When Lisabetta grows up, she does not want to live like her mother and so she moves to the Engadin, which has just been discovered by tourism. After a few happy years, however, she too is destined to care for her family on her own…
This life story is the first chapter, about Alma, from the book The Green Silk Shawl. In this very real and touching family saga, Marcella Maier tells the story of her family over four generations. The green silk shawl of the title was passed down from mother to daughter through the generations.
Source: Reproduced from the book The Green Silk Shawl with the permission of the publisher and Iris Hunter (the translator) in 2020.