We preserve and share the history and contemporary relevance of the Giacometti family of artists
Read the article of Nina Fehr in the NZZ of June 4th, 2026
Dear friends and admirers of Giacometti’s art,
Dear lovers of culture, nature, and the landscape,
Welcome to Stampa, in the heart of the Bregaglia Valley, in the world of the Giacomettis.
If you are looking for the place where Alberto Giacometti was born and buried, where he grew up and went to school within a family of artists, discovered the world and nature, created his first drawings and figures, explored life and death, and sought to capture the human gaze in sculpture, you have come to the right place.
Here, you will discover the story of the Giacometti family of artists from a different perspective. The focus is not on the original artworks, but on the artists themselves: the unique features of their family background and the turning points in their biographies.
We explore and shed light on the importance of education, the skilled migration of their ancestors, the geographical and cultural characteristics of their homeland, and the destinies that shaped the family.
For decades, the works of the Giacomettis have been exhibited around the world. Now, we have created a place where we can talk about them. Through the biographies of the Giacometti artists, we ask: How did they succeed in becoming so innovative and so determined in pursuing their artistic visions?
In Stampa, visitors can experience the “presence” of the world-renowned artist and trace the stages of development in his work. While art museums are discovered through looking, the Giacometti Valley is experienced by walking. Like the Little Prince in Saint-Exupéry’s story, one discovers in the Bregaglia Valley what is essential—something that remains invisible to the eye.
"Museums, heirs, and collectors own the works; they represent the artists’ creative expression. Stampa presents the environment and surroundings of the Giacomettis: this is the foundation, the underlying context."
Marco Giacometti
Stampa is truly impressive!
Visitors will be surprised to discover that other members of the Giacometti family also created remarkable works: Giovanni Giacometti, Augusto Giacometti, Zaccaria, Diego, and Bruno. They will learn the life stories of many people connected to the artists—such as Annetta and Ottilia—and will be amazed by the extraordinary cultural heritage of this mountain valley. In addition, the mountains, stones, stream, forest, clearings, and horizons that shaped the Giacomettis are still there—as are their homes and even their graves.
"This family of great and exceptional artists lends itself perfectly as a remarkable and unique metaphor: one that expresses the relationship between artistic creation and the “natural environment,” memory, and individual and collective imagination."
Pietro Bellasi
If, however, you are looking to encounter works by Alberto Giacometti, Stampa is not the right place to come; in his native valley, there is only one of his works: Lotar III, which is preserved at the Ciäsa Granda Museum. The four Giacometti heirs—Annette, Diego, Bruno, and Silvio—took the majority of the paintings and sculptures with them to their respective homes in Paris, Geneva, and Zurich. For visitors to the Bregaglia Valley, this may come as a disappointment.
The stories shared by the Centro Giacometti: a revelation? You will have to decide for yourself. In any case, since 2009 we have been working to preserve historical testimonies, rescue documents, place stories in context, publish books, and secure important properties. The exhibitions and thematic trails are unfortunately not yet complete. Nevertheless, we are already looking forward to your visit—to the exchange with you and to your support.
Welcome to the world of the Giacomettis in Stampa!
Marco Giacometti, president of the Centro Giacometti
