Atlas Obscura: The Swiss Bénichon

“HIGH ABOVE LAKE GRUYÈRE, I round rocky curves on the road to Vuisternens-en-Ogoz, a French-speaking village in Switzerland. Along with my translator, Eva Winters, I am headed to La Ferme du Biolley, one of several local farms with an adjoining restaurant. With the Jura mountains bordering France to our right and the Alps to our left, undulating farmland unfolds as we approach a large wooden sign reading, “C’est la Bénichon.” The Bénichon, a harvest meal meaning “blessing,” has just begun.”

 

Read the full story at Atlas Obscura.

Photo courtesy of Fribourg Region.

BBC Travel: Switzerland’s Last 10 Tavillonneur Masters

“The clang of a hammer rang out from the chalet roof and echoed against the serene Pre-Alps of Fribourg, Switzerland. Vincent Gachet, one of the country’s few remaining master tavillonneurs, or traditional Swiss roof architects and shingle-makers, carefully placed a wooden shingle on the roof frame. He’d finally completed a square metre – a labour-intensive task that took an hour and required 250 shingles, of which only 12 were visible – and he needed to do 200 more to finish the job. This artful but tedious work of Gachet and other tavillonneurs like him are what keep this Swiss living tradition alive.”

 

Read the full story on BBC Travel.