Alp Grüm is the nearest name to the dot, a tiny station on the Bernina railway where a few red trains stop each hour, and a small restaurant clings to the hillside above a view that stops conversation. Across the valley, the Palü glacier hangs below the peak of Piz Palü, and the ice breaks into blue crevasses above a dark lake. At about 2,090 metres, the air is thin and clear, and the sense of being above everything is complete.
The Bernina Pass, a short climb north, tops out at 2,328 metres and links the Engadine with the Italian-speaking valley of Poschiavo. The road is open all year, which is rare for a pass of this height, but snow can fall in any month and the weather turns fast. On the way down to Poschiavo the road swings through a series of broad hairpins, and the vegetation changes from bare rock to larch, then chestnuts and even palm trees near the Italian border. Ride it in the morning, when the light is soft and the traffic light.
The railway is as famous as the road. The Bernina line, part of the Rhaetian Railway, crosses the pass without a rack, climbing steep gradients and passing the Lago Bianco, a white lake that takes its colour from glacial silt. Further down, near Brusio, the track makes a complete spiral on a circular viaduct, a pretty sight that has been featured on thousands of postcards. The line is on the UNESCO list.
Poschiavo, about ten kilometres from here, is a quiet town of about three and a half thousand people, with old houses, a long main square and a mix of Italian and Swiss flavour. It has fuel and cafes, and is the place to try a plate of pizzoccheri, buckwheat noodles with cheese and cabbage. Up here at the station, fuel is not available, so carry enough for the pass.
A small glacier garden near Cavaglia shows giant potholes ground out by meltwater, an easy stop on the way down. Wear a warm layer even in summer, because the wind off the ice is cold.