These palazzi[3] were built by prosperous local residents who had made their fortune abroad, particularly in Spain.

Of the rest of the land, 1.8% is settled (buildings or roads) and the remainder (46.2%) is non-productive (rivers, glaciers or mountains).

Poschiavo's only direct connection to Engadin and the rest of Switzerland is over the Bernina Pass.

The town is connected by the Hauptstrasse 29 road over the pass and a Rhätische Bahn (RhB) station on the Bernina Railway between St. Moritz and Tirano.

[10] There are ten buildings in Poschiavo that are listed as Swiss Heritage sites of national significance.

Three churches and a chapel are listed: S. Maria Assunta, S. Vittore, S. Carlo Borromeo and Vecchio Monastero con cappella monastica di S. Maria Presentata; three houses are also on the lis: Casa Tomé, Devon House, and Li Curt House; finally, there are three buildings, now used as museums; Mulino di Aino, Palazzo De Bassus Mengotti, Palazzo Dorizzi.

While it was built in the village center, it had a structure that more closely matched nearby farm house; today it houses a museum and hosts classes and discussions on traditional farming and food production techniques.

[12] The Mulino di Aino presents several pre-industrial trades; this working museum shows how flour was produced from grain, boards from timber and horseshoes from iron.