Maienfeld

Above this graceful little village full of fountains, vineyards, and old stucco houses, the Zürich author Johanna Spyri set Heidi, the much-loved children's story of an orphan growing up with her grandfather on an isolated Alpine farm. Taken away to accompany the invalid Clara in murky Frankfurt, she languishes until returning to her mountain home. Nursing her fatally ill son, Spyri spent time in Maienfeld and liked the mountains, but it's questionable whether actual people inspired her tale.