Former Swiss police chief opens café in Bern

Nicoletta della Valle takes over a café in Bern Keystone-SDA

As head of the Federal Office of Police, Nicoletta della Valle had to deal with the mafia and terrorist organisations. After retiring, she has opened a coffee bar in Bern, offering free counselling for various life situations.

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Reducing from 100 to zero was not an option for Della Valle, as the Bern-based Tamedia newspapers wrote on Friday. “Suddenly chilling out is not for me,” Della Valle said. And so she is now venturing into the catering industry and studying for her landlord’s licence.

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“Sempre Berna” is the name of the café she wants to open in Bern’s Mattenhof neighbourhood. But it’s not just about drinking coffee. Together with around 50 volunteers, including retired legal, theological and psychological experts, she wants to provide low-threshold counselling services.

Advice is available on writing job applications or deciphering complex administrative texts, for example, depending on what the volunteers offer. The bar is due to open in mid-October.

Translated from German by DeepL/ts

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