Weekly markets fill the town squares with cheese cut to order, warm bread and jars of mountain honey. Small workshops behind the village streets keep watchmaking and other handwork alive, each piece finished by someone who knows the trade inside out.

The climate is temperate, with four clear seasons, snowy winters high in the mountains and a milder feel south of the Alps. Summer suits lake swims and trails, winter suits snow and warm kitchens. A Local Friend sits down with you at a table you would not have found, where the talk is as good as the food.