There are still two important peat regions in Switzerland. One, in east Switzerland, is so well protected that it has become a military zone. The other is in Sagne, in the Pout-de-Martell valley, a village in the Neuchatel area, a beuatiful isolated region where the winters are long and cold and the summers short and delightful. The inhabitants are hospitable but they defend their territory amd their traditions, one of which is gathering peat. Nowadays only a few people are employed in this task.