Rico and Wiseli

In a quiet Alpine hamlet perched on the highway to Maloja, a towering Italian laborer makes his daily trek to the roadworks, his black beard masking most of his features. Each morning he is followed by his young son, a pale‑faced boy with eyes that seem to search for something beyond the visible world. The pair move silently through the village, the father humming or coaxing melodies from a harmonica, a comb, even a leaf, while the child watches with rapt attention. Their simple routine is punctuated by moments when the father hands the boy a fiddle, guiding his small hands to coax the first sweet notes together.

Through music, the duo builds a fragile bridge between generations, sharing songs in Italian that echo across the mountain air. The boy’s fascination grows as he practices the tune he knows best—a melancholy ballad that lingers in his mind. When the fiddle mysteriously disappears, the boy’s determination to recreate its sound hints at a deeper quest that will shape the days ahead.