Gondo 

‘At Gondo the road was blocked. It was a miserable village in a deep gorge. The inn resembled a prison, eight stories high and with small grated windows. Below the inn, on the slope down to the river, there were small gardens with leguminous plants. They looked more likely to perish than to reach maturity.’ This is a quote from The Claudians: gardens, landscapes, reason and faith: John Claudius Loudon and Claudius Buchanan, Tom Turner (Kindle, 2024). 

The Historic and Scenic Charm of Gondo Gorge

An 1820 Traveller's Guide Through Switzerland recounts that: ‘From Simplon you successively cross the bridges of the Lowibach and of the Kronbach, and reach Gsteig; and from Gisteig to Gondo or. Rouden, where there is a tower seven stories high. A little beyond the fourth gallery, which is also eighty paces long, you meet the beautiful cascade of the Frissinone or Alpirnbach, near to which is the fifth gallery, the longest of all, being 202 paces long. At no great distance from Gondo is seen a cascade that falls from the defile of Zwischbergen, in which there is a gold mine. Before the new road was made, merchandise was transported on mules, and, in stormy weather, hundreds of beasts of burden were obliged to stop for shelter during several days at the inn of Gondo. A little below Gondo a small chapel is built, on the confines of the Valais and of Italy.’

Gondo’s Historical Significance and Natural Beauty

Gondo, a village nestled amidst the majestic Swiss Alps, offers a captivating blend of history, natural beauty, and local charm. While 19th-century travelers like John Claudius Loudon might have found the village austere, Gondo's unique character and strategic location on the Simplon Pass hold a rich history and hidden gems waiting to be explored.