Our favorite are the 'socques' which are clogs with wooden soles and leather uppers. The crafting of leather dates from Roman times. In the days before Internet and video games, and even the television for that matter, traditional entertainment in the valleys was beautifully innocent.

For the children the principal toys were 'les cornailles'. These were made in the shape of small stylised cows with a stumpy body and no legs. Those with more imagination used to branch out into sheep, hens with tall necks and even mules or 'tata' pulled along on four wheels.

For the adults, as in other Alpine areas and indeed other parts of the world, masks were an early form of popular art and culture. Carved from wood or bark they would be impressively designed with expressive eyes, protruding noses and and wide mouths fixed in mocking grins.