I’m squashed in among a group of elderly ladies hustling for space at the counter of Panizzi. In front of us, shopkeeper Marcello is scurrying around, distributing slices and scoops as he splits glorious gold and white hunks of dairy into containers. He spots me and approaches with a board laden with fontina, a semi-soft cheese that’s a local speciality. 

“Try it!” he commands with a big smile. I take one. And another. OK, one more, I decide, already addicted to its buttery, nutty flavour. On Sunday morning in Courmayeur, shopping is top priority. Not so much for jewellery and clothes — although the streets are lined with boutiques — but for produce. Cheeses, salamis and wines poke out of oversized handbags as shoppers stock up on the local bounty.