Kathrin Ruegg’s Books for the First Time in English!
Hello Fellow English Book Lovers! Kathrin Ruegg’s Books “My Ticino Diaries” for the First Time Available in English!
In 1971, Kathrin Ruegg decided to turn her back on the city and fulfill her dream of a simple life in nature. She found it in the mountains of the canton Ticino in southern Switzerland and recorded her experiences in several diaries. A fascinating story whose preservation and publication became a matter of the heart for us. And so, we said to ourselves, "Farèm!" ("Let’s do it!" in Swiss Italian dialect) - and published in 2019 Kathrin's diaries as a new German edition and now, in 2023, release these wonderful books for the first time also in English. Now available in English is her 1st book "My Wonderful Monte Valdo"
Zur deutschen Seite über Kathrin Rüegg bitte hier klicken!
Roland Voser, January 11, 2023
Superficial Contradictions That Actually Complement Each Other.
We are pleased to offer Kathrin Ruegg's books now for the first time to the English-speaking world. This is possible thanks to new technologies in publishing and distribution channels such as Amazon. At first glance, these new technologies may seem a somewhat contradictory counterpoint to the idea of a return to nature.
But it is precisely this constructive and positive tension between progress and nature that must now be reconciled for future generations. As the publishers of Kathrin's work, this is of great concern to us.
The Longing for the Simple Life.
Looking back, in Switzerland and especially in its south, in the canton of Ticino, we find in the last 100 years again and again periods in which the closeness to nature was celebrated by the people who traveled to this place. One might wonder why this took place in Ticino, for example, on Monte Verità (link) or in the hills of the Malcantone. One answer is probably this: Nature is unique, combining the wildness of the Alps with the Italianità of the South. The canton of Ticino lies in the south of the Alps and borders Lombardy, the prosperous northern province of Italy with the metropolis of Milan. A few kilometers away lies Venice, the Adriatic, and the Mediterranean Sea. This region is simply the embodiment of the wanderlust of European people from the north.
Here again, the tension between past and present: In former times, the people in Ticino mainly were very poor, and many immigrated to America. Their small property in Switzerland was thus soon abandoned for years, forgotten, and the typical stone houses - called rustici - gradually crumbled. Rustici is the plural of Rustico because in this part of Switzerland, Italian - one of the four national languages, German, French, Romansh, and Italian - is spoken. Yet, these Rustici have remained as witnesses of the past. And with them, the longing for the simple life that grabs us all at some point in our lives.
“I learned how one can live a simple life and how life becomes worth living, even if one has to fight against a thousand difficulties. You’re not at the end until you die.“
Kathrin Ruegg (March 7, 1930 - June 12, 2011)
Ticino Alps Impressions.
Inspiration for a New Beginning.
Kathrin Ruegg was no exception. She recorded her journey back to nature for us in her diaries. Her work displays authenticity, warmth, and humor, and we hope you will enjoy it. Every life is a unique story, and each of us writes it all by ourselves. And yet, we also find inspiration in other people’s chapters of life. Kathrin Ruegg was one such person in the German-speaking world in the 1970s and 1980s, with whom people were fascinated and through whom they found their own way back to nature.
A strong, successful, and remarkable woman, Kathrin showed that it is never too late to start all over again in life if you are prepared to face challenges and muster the courage and spontaneity that a new beginning can require. In her former life, Kathrin was a well-known interior designer in Basel in the northwest of Switzerland, had several employees, and lived the life of a wealthy towner.
In the pristine mountain world in the south of Switzerland near Italy, however, she wanted to return to the roots of life, to a simple but all the more meaningful existence, without all the superficial distractions of a big city that often mask one’s unfulfillment. Living close to nature revealed other, far less shallow worlds.
In other words - she wanted to fulfill her longing for a simple life.
My Wonderful Monte Valdo.
In Ticino, this wonderful piece of earth in the heart of Europe, the so-called Garden of God, she let nothing and no one dissuade her from her new life. She and her friends overcame any difficulty with a very down-to-earth attitude, following the motto “Farèm!” - Let’s do it!
Every dream has its location. Kathrin’s Monte Valdo still thrives in close communion with nature. Therefore, it is a gentlemen’s agreement not to publish its exact site to preserve its unique charm for the future.
And every dream has its people. In Monte Valdo's solitude, Kathrin had her animals with her (two dogs and two cats). But also Michelangelo - a homeless man and alcoholic with his heart in the right place - accompanied her very energetically during the time on Monte Valdo. Yet, he was not always completely reliable. Another person who gave Kathrin the necessary strength and support on her often rocky path during the early days in Ticino was Uncle Arthur.
Monte Valdo Impressions.
“My Ticino Diaries” - Stories About Kathrin’s Little World in Ticino.
To the great delight of her contemporaries and also later generations, she wrote down and published the stories she experienced on her path. Her Ticino diaries found their way into the hearts of many people, allowing them to discover and experience a little of their own passion for a simple and meaningful life in nature.
For us, this is reason enough to tell these timeless stories to people worldwide once again, to translate and to publish this book series “My Ticino Diaries” and to let readers participate in Kathrin’s little world in Ticino - from afar and yet very close.
smartmyway, January 2023
Roland Voser and Maurizio Vogrig
“Nature never deceives us. It is always we who deceive ourselves.“
Jean-Jacques Rousseau (1712-1778)
My Wonderful Monte Valdo.
The book is available on Amazon as a Kindle book, paperback and hardback. Thank you very much for your purchase!
Monte Valdo Aerial View.
The map of the secret place Monte Valdo. It is located in Ticino, in the south of Switzerland.
(c) 2023: Apple Maps on Mac, Text: Roland Voser
Acqua Verde.
Kathrin's home - the Verzasca Valley - has a famous place: the Roman bridge Ponte dei salti.
(c) 2019: Verzasca Valley, Canton Ticino, Switzerland, Photo: Roland Voser
contact smartmyway.
If you want to contact us, the best way is to write an e-mail to mail@smartmyway.ch. Our postal address and short impressum is: smartmyway ag, Wiweg 5, 5105 Auenstein, Switzerland.
(c) 2018: Highland cattle, Val Colla, Malcantone, Canton Ticino, Switzerland, Photo: Roland Voser
smartmyway on the road.
Old stone fountain in the Verzasca Valley in southern Switzerland, near Lavertezzo (Revöira), in January 2019.
(c) 2019: Verzasca Valley, Canton Ticino, Switzerland, Photo: Roland Voser
Seit 2018 Chief Editor, Mitbegründer, Verwaltungsrat und Teilhaber von smartmyway, Autor, Coach, Mentor und Berater. Vorher als Geschäftsführer von Media Markt E-Commerce AG, Media Markt Basel AG, Microspot AG sowie in den Geschäftsleitungen von Interdiscount AG und NCR (Schweiz) AG tätig.
Experte für Digitalisierung, Digital-Business, Handel, Sales & Marketing, E-Commerce, Strategie, Geschäftsentwicklung, Transformationen, Turn Around, Innovation, Coaching, erneuerbare Energien, Medien, Professional Services, Category Management, Supply Chain Management
