Lake Lej Alv

From the Marguns gondola summit station, you can reach the Corviglia funicular summit station in about 30 minutes on foot, following glorious mountain hiking trails. From here, it’s just a short walk to the Lej Alv natural reservoir, a popular spot for idyllic picnics at high altitude. This delightful lake, framed by lush alpine meadows, is also home to many fish and a favoured location among anglers.

Our tip: at Marguns, look out for the three striking mountain pinnacles collectively known as “Las Trais Fluors” (Romansh for “The three flowers”), with the melodious individual names of Pigna, Vivanda and Allegria. According to legend, a flower fairy once wanted to help the poor inhabitants down in the valley, and gave them three flowers. The seeds of Pigna (Romansh for “oven”) kept their homes warm, the seeds of Vivanda (nourishment) stilled their hunger and the fruits of Allegria (joy) drove away melancholy and made even the toughest jobs a cheerful, light-hearted task. With this good fortune, the people soon became lazy, greedy and envious, and the fairy realised that they did not deserve her gifts. She took away the three flowers from them, and placed them above the village as stone memorials to their folly. And ever since, the villagers have had to work hard again to survive the winter. They procured ovens and food, but they really missed joy. To this day, the people of the Engadin greet each other with a cheerful “Allegra!” (happiness!), and so conjure a smile on the face of their fellow humans.