Milan & Switzerland 2023

From Style On The Streets To Horses On Ice: Milan, St Moritz & The Bernina Express

Elegant, stylish, classy: words we would all associate with Milan and accolades which this city effortlessly lives up to, with its lofty majestic buildings and wide open piazzas. By day these imposing, ornate structures tower over the streets in proud glory; at night, tastefully illuminated by well placed floodlighting, the grand buildings assume another yet more alluring pose in what is effectively an architectural catwalk.

Emerging from the metro and out into the square at Duomo station is to soak in one of THE great cathedral views as the shaped facade of this magnificent building soars above the piazza like some giant ice sculpture. The famed Duomo is in good company too, surrounded as it is by exquisite, elegant blocks framing the open square. If the multi-statued, complicated exterior is impressive enough, this beautiful cathedral has still more to offer.

Its cavernous interior, punctuated by wide marble pillars and decorated by a series of stunning stained glass windows, is a giant of a cathedral which just has the visitor gazing in awe. Climb up on to its roof though and you get a magnificent view of Milan’s sprawling metropolis, across the Galleria, past La Scala opera house, through the shining modernist towers of the financial district and eventually to the snow capped Alps beyond. It’s a magnificent cityscape.

The Galleria Vittorio Emanuele II, the imposing double mall of considerable renown, has lost none of the verve injected into it during its construction in the 1860s/70s. Its glass and iron dome above the central axis of the malls, so typical of the great shopping arcades of the 19th century, provides both natural light and a superb focal point; beneath its elegant gaze the modern day shops are at the higher end of branding: Prada, Louis Vuitton, Gucci and the like. 

Timeframes for construction of the Duomo are up there with a Gaudi plan, taking almost six centuries from foundation to finishing touches. Commenced in 1386 on the site of a basilica from Roman times, the final embellishments weren’t completed until 1965 – a process which may even have taken longer if not for the personal intervention of Napoleon. The result of the efforts of the successive architects and engineers is magnificent, from the beautiful and unique marble facade to the gleaming gold Madonna at the very peak.

Milan is such an elegant city that never mind cathedrals, opera houses and grand palaces, the Centrale railway station is a masterpiece in its own right, boldly standing between two spacious piazzas and commanding respect from all who pass into its vast interior. The view from our room, over the transport hub of trams, buses and taxis to Centrale itself is another transfixing vista – fabulous day or night but even more spectacular when the dazzling orange sunrise provides the morning backdrop.

An extremely reasonable 7.60 euros buys 24 hours of unlimited tram, bus and metro travel throughout most of the city, but with just a small amount of time here – one full day plus a few hours – we restrict ourselves to what are undoubtedly the best sights. We know Milan has its less attractive quarters but when and where it struts, it really struts. 

“I’m no fashion icon”, says Nigel as we walk across to catch the train out, “but these Milanese are very smartly dressed”, so committing two sizeable understatements in one sentence.

And so the train journeys begin, and even though the first is a scheduled service rather than a famed run, it is still a very spectacular ride. For much of the first hour, the line from Milan to Tirano near the Swiss border runs along the shore of Lake Como, bringing fabulous views across the choppy waters to the mountains opposite. Como’s pretty lakeside towns look so typically Italian as they glint in the sunshine and face out across the shining surface of the water.

Away from the lake we climb towards Switzerland through vineyards and orchards to the small border town of Tirano where we have a couple of hours to kill before boarding the Bernina Express.

What an incredible thrill riding the Bernina is – not just the unrivalled scenery but also the engineering marvel which was the creation of this railway line in the first place. Such is its significance that the entire route is now a UNESCO World Heritage site. From Tirano we are soon into Switzerland, and soon commencing the remarkable climb up towards the Bernina Pass – a climb so steep that the line literally spirals up the mountains, moving the spectacular views from left to right and back again.

At one point, the circular Brusio Viaduct, the train performs a full 360 degree turn before mounting the curving bridge to commence the huge climb. The start point at Tirano is 430 metres above sea level, by the time we reach the line’s highest point at Ospizio Bernina, we have climbed a remarkable 1,823 metres to a total height of 2,253 metres. Once past this high point we make the more gentle partial descent to the ski resort town of St Moritz, its clusters of hotels nestled amongst the snowy peaks which surround the town.

Journey time on the Bernina Express is around two hours yet it passes so quickly, such is the never ending beauty of the incredible mountain scenery. As we climb, temperatures drop from around 8C to well below zero: the grassy pastures slowly gain pockets of snow; the pockets of snow become a full covering; then in time the full covering becomes deep snow with giant icicles hanging from rock faces. Watching this splendid Alpine scenery unfold through the oversized train windows is nothing short of a marvel. It is truly spellbinding. 

Giant peaks, frozen lakes, snow laden pines and animal tracks in the snow…cable cars and ski shacks, the occasional cross country skier and a handful of small mountain towns, the full length of the train visible ahead as it negotiates yet another long sweeping bend – but the undoubted stars are the white mountains with their triangular peaks set against the clear blue sky. Just beautiful.

St Moritz is of course home to the famed Cresta Run, so we take a short time out to watch tobogganists rocketing down the ice pathway which runs from a start point surprisingly close to the centre of town. The bobsleigh hasn’t yet started for the day – we don’t intend to have a go on the Cresta Run but we have experienced the magic of a bobsleigh run before, which you can read about HERE.

Away from the Cresta Run we head back into town and down into the valley for today’s main event, the White Turf meeting. If like us you haven’t heard of this previously, White Turf is basically horse racing on ice and, what’s more, the ice in this case is a frozen lake. By February each winter, the lake freezes into thick layers of ice which is in turn covered by enough snow to make the event a winter spectacular. In a pageant which has been held through the month of February since 1907, the meeting is a combination of straight flat horse racing on the snow covered ice and races where the jockeys ride a gig-style carriage on runners rather than the horse itself.

Sometimes there are also races where the riders are pulled on skis by the horses but apparently the ice isn’t thick enough for this particular event today. (Note…we don’t quite understand how it can be thick enough for carriages but not for skis, maybe someone can explain?).

And it is without doubt a winter spectacular – refreshment tents, grandstands and winners’ enclosures like any other race meeting, yet held on the gleaming white of Alpine snow against the sumptuous backdrop of the stunning mountains. It’s all extremely pleasing on the eye and a great event to witness. We are even treated to seeing an English rider clinch victory in one of the races, for which Alison pockets a modest handful of Swiss francs.

Heading towards the two events of the Bernina Express and the White Turf, we had hoped for crispy white snow, bright sunshine and clear mountain air – and the elements absolutely play ball with two days of exactly what we would have wished for.

Next up is the longer, potentially even more intriguing Glacier Express, an eight hour ride through the Alps from St Moritz to the small Alpine village of Zermatt. 

From St Moritz To Zermatt On The Glacier Express

The White Turf course and its attendant marquees stand silent now, dormant until the next race meeting in a week’s time, while the rest of the town blinks its eyes as the morning sun bounces off the white snow and dazzles those emerging from their slumbers. It’s sunglasses at dawn here. It’s not just the brightness which makes the eyes water in St Moritz, it’s the prices too – make no mistake, this is one seriously expensive town. A couple of nights here would buy a three-week trip to some parts of the world. 

It feels considerably colder this morning as we stride along the platform towards the waiting Glacier Express, the hum of its heating system and the twinkle of its interior lights beckoning. After the joys of the Bernina a couple of days ago we are full of anticipation as the train glides out of the station at 8:50 precisely (of course it does, it’s Switzerland) and leaves behind the hordes of skiers who are evidently willing to pay a King’s ransom for an extended break in St Moritz.

“Welcome on board the World’s slowest fast train”, says the pre-recorded message as we commence 8 hours of what must be one of the best mountain railways in the world. Through the deep white snow of the Engadine Alps, we drop below the snow line and alongside fast flowing rivers to reach the town of Chur, sheltered by the mountains which cordon off the snow but also block out the sun.

The Glacier Express is another train lover’s delight with those eight hours passing quickly as we soak up the incredible scenery and enjoy a very respectable on-board lunch. Leaving Chur and heading towards our destination of Zermatt the route is sometimes so steep that the line becomes a rack railway to assist with hauling the train up the mountains. We make Zermatt just before dusk.

Zermatt is a pretty, quintessential Alpine town filled with narrow streets and timber houses, snow nestling in its corners and the mountains visible in every direction. Rising above every other peak and directly visible from our balcony – and from most of the town – is the mighty Matterhorn, its majestic angled form instantly recognisable and strangely familiar. The town of Zermatt is completely car-free with traffic restricted to small electric trucks which buzz around town like manic milk floats.

Like St Moritz, the town clatters to the sound of ski boots and empties through the middle part of the day as everyone heads for the cable cars, skis in hand and designer labels to the fore. Unlike St Moritz, Zermatt is quaint and compact with more wood than concrete on its chalets and houses.

The four of us join those on the ski lift, feeling just a little conspicuous in our ordinary winter clothing while everyone else sports designer ski gear and carries two dirty great sticks. This cable car run is probably the longest we’ve ever experienced, taking a full 45 minutes on different gondolas to reach the Matterhorn Glacier Paradise 3,883 metres above sea level and only 600 metres or so below the summit of the neighbouring Matterhorn.

It’s almost surreal up here on the viewing platform, surrounded by these magnificent peaks with a feeling of being on the roof of the World – one of those dream like panoramas which is already etching itself into the memory at the moment we stand and stare. We don’t stand for too long, though – it’s incredibly cold up here. It was minus 17C when we set off from town this morning and it feels considerably colder than that out on the viewing platform.

As well as these astonishing views, the “Paradise” also offers tunnels through the glacier itself, an intriguing walk through passageways of smooth ice in which hues dance and tease – ice with hints of blue, ice as clear as water, ice as white as the snow. Now and again we pass an ice sculpture – beautifully carved eagles, dragons and the like, all adding to the feeling of mystery which comes with walking through the frozen heart of a glacier.

Hiking trails are as numerous as ski pistes around Zermatt, though many of them are for summer use only. On the second morning Michaela and I tackle one of the winter trails, the Rundweg Zermatt, a really enjoyable 7-kilometre hike through snowy woodland, open expanses of pure white and deep sheltered gorges. One such gorge is home to a beautiful frozen waterfall, its once gushing waters suspended in glorious sculptures until Spring. The Matterhorn, peering over rooftops, towering above the pistes or lurking behind pine forests, is ever-present throughout the hike.

For our final Zermatt excursion – indeed the final excursion before we head back to the UK – we take the remarkable steep rack railway up the mountainside to Gornergrat where the views again have that roof-of-the-World feeling of powerful beauty. The train rumbles its way up to over 3,000 metres on mind boggling gradients to the frozen wastes at the top. Gornergrat has a reputation for providing the best of the many views of the Matterhorn, and it doesn’t disappoint in that regard – they are indeed splendid.

Throughout our Alpine break, the weather has been that perfect combination of cold, fresh air and still, sunny days devoid of both wind and cloud – exactly what we had hoped for. In this perfect light, the mountains and ridges are so clearly defined against the blue sky, some almost appearing to be one dimensional so precise is their outline.

And so this latest adventure is almost over as we embark on a slightly convoluted route home with two trains to Geneva followed by Easyjet back to Gatwick. These train journeys may not be the spectacular mountain routes of the last few days but they are stimulating nonetheless. We change trains at Visp and then drop down through more vineyards than either of us knew Switzerland had until we come alongside the shores of Lac Leman aka Lake Geneva. Switzerland is, it seems, a serious wine producer, but the reason most of us don’t know this is that 98% of their wine is consumed within its own borders – and most of the exported 2% only travels as far as Germany.

Picturesque lakeside towns such as Montreux, Aigne and Vevey pass by, their balconied houses gazing into the mist over the lake, but by Lausanne the conurbations become larger and start to overlap: concrete replaces mountains as Geneva comes closer.

It’s been wonderful to breathe the fresh clear mountain air, exciting to see the breathtaking scenery , fabulous to experience these amazing train journeys. But wow the pain suffered by our bank accounts is excruciating – these Swiss ski resorts are definitely not destinations for the budget traveller. Our eyes are still watering.