The patterns scratched into the white walls of Engadin houses are made the way they were in the sixteenth century: two layers of lime and a sharp tool.
A sgraffito wall starts as a dark grey render. Over it goes a thin coat of white lime, and while it is still wet the craftsman scratches through it to reveal the grey below. There are only a few hours to work before the lime sets.
What the patterns mean
Running wolf's teeth along the eaves, diamonds around the windows, rosettes and the odd mermaid on the richest houses. Many were made to look like expensive carved stone on a farmhouse budget. Some carried the family's initials and the year.
Guarda, an hour down the valley, has the finest in the Engadin. Walk the single street slowly and look up. Our own façade was redone in 2019 by a craftsman from Scuol, in the same wolf's-teeth pattern you see on this website.
