Guarda (1,653 m) lies way up in the valley, nestled between rolling hills and meadows on the sunny side of the Unterengadin, proffering stunning panorama views over the Engadine mountain world. Where the 190 villagers, the majority of whom still speak Rhaeto-Romance, are pleased to provide a fair number of tourist beds.The village once lay directly on the road to Engadine, thus absorbing much of the merchant traffic travelling between Innsbruck and Lake Como. However, already since1862 through traffic has been guided over the bottom of the valley, leaving Guarda an oasis of peace. Thanks to this Guarda has maintained its attractive village image, with numerous proud-looking Engadine houses famous for their attractive graffiti murals. In 1975 Guarda was awarded the prestigious Wakker Prize for its tidy appearance and the village centre soon stood under protection.