About us

FAMILY TRADITION SINCE 1908 ...

In the incomparable beauty of the Upper Engadine in the canton of Graubünden, lies the village of Sils-Maria between Lake Sils and Lake Silvaplana. Sils is not only a place with great scenic charm but a place that offers various opportunities for leisure and culture. It is also the starting point for one of the most beautiful, southern side valleys of the Engadine, the Fex Valley.

The Fex was once used by the locals as an alp for sheep, the original name was Fedes, from "Feda", which means sheep. The Fex was first officially mentioned around 1303.

The valley consists of the hamlets of Fex Platta, Vaüglia, Fex Crasta, Vals and Fex Curtins. In addition to the private houses, there are 2 hotels in the Fex Valley - one of them is our "Sonne Fex", 2 pensions and at the moment 4 farms, who are producing regional products such as meat and cheese. All products are produced organically and based on a natural process.

The Fex ends at the Fex glacier, which is surrounded by the mountains Piz Tremoggia, Piz Chapütschin, Piz Fora and Piz Güz and which represents an impressive scenery at the end of the valley.

Thanks to our great uncle, a visionary and Mayor Gian Fümm, the Fex has been under strict conservation since 1954. Since then, public transport has been severely restricted, building extensions or new buildings were very limited and at that time the electrical cables were put into the ground. The horse-drawn carriages have always been a popular transport within the Fex and are therefore an important part of the valley.

Fex Crasta is home to the picturesque mountain church with its famous and well-preserved frescoes. Both were created around 1500. Right here, where the church was built, you will find a "powerful place" which can have an effect of serenity or strength on people.

And in addition to this place of “power” and the aforementioned little mountain church, our great-grandmother, Verena Fümm-Nadig, built the "Hotel Sonne Fex" in 1908. A year later, she started her first winter season!

The prospectus at the time read: "In the Fex Valley, 30 minutes from Sils-Maria, the famous spa town of the Upper Engadine, lies on a sunny meadow terrace, where the white mountain church of Crasta as a landmark of peace and tranquility, looks far into the valley, lays our “Inn of the golden sun".

Verena ran the business until the 1930s and then passed it on to her son, Gian Fümm. His heart was beating faster for politics, however, as I said, he was mayor and also representing the Grand Council of the Canton of Graubünden. He could neither enjoy his inn nor his political achievements, unfortunately he passed away too early in 1956.

His wife, Clorinda Fümm-de Zanet, had to take sole responsibility for the "Sonne Fex". In the early 1970s, the business was briefly leased before returning back to the family in 1978. Clorinda's niece, my mother Susanne Witschi-Fümm, took over the business together with her husband, my father Peter Witschi.

The hotel was getting old, but with passion for detail and good cuisine, the young couple offered many guests a wonderful holiday home. They hosted many guests in the restaurant and organized lavish parties. Many specialties for which the Sonne kitchen is still well known today were created at that time: the fine röstis, the Engadine nut cake based on the old original recipe of great-grandmother Verena or the well-known blueberry pie ...

After 12 years of hiring the hotel, they were able to buy the house from Aunt Clorinda in 1990. A complete renovation from the basement to the roof followed a year later, Hotel Sonne Fex had established a big step forward to increase the needs of their guests.

However, my father was never really enthusiastic about the mountains and so my mother had to run the business on her own, being responsible from 1998 onwards. In 2009 I started working at the hotel for the first time. As a child I grew up in the "Sonne Fex", together with my brother Peider-Duri, often we were given small tasks, washing dishes, clearing the terrace or helping to shovel snow ...

I graduated from the secondary school in Samedan and then attended the hotel management school in Lucerne. My brother completed his cooking apprenticeship at Suvretta House and now, after working for many years in foreign kitchens, he runs the Alpenrose restaurant in the village of Sils-Maria.

You must have noticed that women always have been at the helm of this popular inn since it opened in 1908 ... but in 2012 this tradition changed when I, the 4th generation of the Fümm family, took over the management of the house. In May 2014 wedding bells rang for my fiancée Jennifer from Pansdorf near Lübeck (Germany) and myself.

Jennifer and I, Gian-Reto run our "Sonne Fex" and proudly maintain our long family tradition by maintaining the beautiful and traditional values of our house.

Our daughter Siri is already 8 years old this year and attends the 2. school class. She receives active support from her little sister Sinja, who celebrated her fifth birthday this year. Both are following the footsteps of their Nona Susanne Witschi-Fümm and greet each guest with their warm smile!

We look forward to your visit with us at the Fex Valley.

With warm regards,

Jennifer and Gian-Reto Witschi, Siri and Sinja
4th generation
Hotel Sonne Fex