Switzerland

When English travellers discovered Lucerne, Interlaken and Saint Moritz between the end of the 18th and beginning of the 19th centuries, they were astounded. The Alps, with majestic Jungfrau and alluring Pilatus, stirred their imagination, giving rise to a thriving tourist industry. Proust's pages, Turner's brushstrokes and Brahms' notes masterfully described the secrets of an idyllic country: Switzerland. And altogether, the modern country, with its cities - Zurich, Basel and Geneva - banks and leading industries, has preserved an old charm that makes it special among European countries. It is, in some ways, incorrect to speak of Switzerland: it would be more accurate to speak of a collection of very different languages, traditions and landscapes, united in a single "container". This is where the charm of the country lies - in this great variety of different images in a very small area. The book is packed with photographs and text by a very special observer, the Swiss journalist Moreno Bernasconi, allowing even those unfamiliar with the country to become acquainted with its historical and cultural aspects and admire its beauty.