Graubünden with St. Moritz

Graubünden with St. Moritz Travel Guide

Though the names of its resorts -- St. Moritz, Davos, Klosters, Arosa -- register almost automatic recognition, the region wrapped around them remains surprisingly little known. Resort life in winter contrasts sharply with the everyday existence of the native mountain farmers. Of all the Swiss cantons, Graubünden is the most culturally diverse. Swiss-German and Italian dialects are widely spoken. But the obscure and ancient language called Romansh (literally, "Roman") is spoken by almost 20% of the population, harking back to the 1st century BC, when the area was a Roman province called Rhaetia Prima. Some say the tongue predates the Romans and trace its roots back as far as 600 BC, when an Etruscan prince named Rhaetus invaded the region.