And though the standard fare at the mountain osterias known as rifugios largely remains slabs of speck and strong local cheese, there are exceptions — most notably Col Alt, a rifugio above Corvara accessible only by ski lift, where meat dishes take the form of succulent venison or rabbit, and bottles of aged Barolo offer a noble complement to the soaring mountain vistas.

Moments of potential transcendence, such as an afternoon constitutional through an expressionistic wonderland recalling the Fuji Velvia vividness of What Dreams May Come, ring false in light of this project's mercenary origins.

The Communists had considerable influence in the Labour Party in the years 1920–26 and 1935–9. Their chief importance, and that of the whole left wing of the Labour movement, was the part they played in alienating the middle classes from Socialism.

Thailand goes to the polls on Sunday under a new system that critics say the military government has devised to prevent the most popular political party, which has won every election since 2001, from returning to power.