Craftsmanship
Made by Hand, Still
Skills passed down, not written down
Craft here survives because it is used, not framed. A goldsmith in Cortina d'Ampezzo works silver thread into filigree jewelry, unchanged for generations. In Megève, an artisan hand-chisels the Croix de Megève, a cross once carried by men leaving for military service, now a mark of local identity. In Lech Zürs am Arlberg, the wood-shingled chalet, built by Walser settlers from Valais around 1300, remains the standard new building is measured against. It continues because someone here still knows how.
Skill HandedFrom One Hand to the Next
Craft still practised, not just displayed
Nine resorts, nine crafts still passed hand to hand: a goldsmith's filigree, a chiselled cross, a chalet built the old way. Each survives because someone here still knows how.
Nine Resorts, Nine Crafts
Goldsmiths, woodworkers and cheesemakers at work
Craftsmanship, Answered
In Courmayeur, craftsmanship and innovation have gone hand in hand for over two centuries. Founded as a local blacksmith’s workshop in 1818, Grivel forged the first modern 10-point crampons in 1909. Further innovations in crampon design helped transform ice climbing, turning local metalworking expertise into equipment used by mountaineers worldwide.
It is still made and worn. Filigree, built by twisting fine silver thread into lace-like patterns, has been used for generations in Cortina d'Ampezzo's traditional jewelry, much of it passed down within families. Local goldsmiths continue to hand-produce pieces using the technique today, rather than reproducing it only for display.
Lech Zürs am Arlbergwas settled around 1300 by Walser migrants from the Valais region of Switzerland, who brought a building method built on wood shingles over log construction. Strict local planning rules have kept that method as the reference for new building in Lech ever since, which is why the village reads as consistent rather than a mix of eras.
The Croix de Megève is a lattice-cut, hand-chiselled cross rooted in a local custom: men leaving Megève for years of military service once had one made for the woman they left behind, its cut-out details representing tears of separation. It is still hand-chiselled by a local artisan today, and pieces bearing its Savoyard heart and wheel motif remain available directly from Megève jewellers.