A close look at the Vallesane people of Goms, the hold homeland of the Walser communities, the Ladins of the Val Badia and the Valdesi of the Val Pellice, shows that the ancient culture of the people who populated the Alps is alive and well. Religion, language, architecture and handicrafts: separated by geography these peoples nonetheless share features of a common Alpine culture. The determination with that the traditions, still so much part of everyday life, are defended, seems to contradict the idea of the spread of globalisation. Or perhaps it’s because globalisation is perceived as a great leveller in which differences are eliminated that we are witnessing a revival and appreciation of local values and culture.