A high-pitched whistle penetrates the cool mountain air as I slowly ascend the slopes on a hiking path that was once part of King Victor Emmanuel II’s network of hunting trails. The whistle, I am told, is a marmot’s warning of intruders. It sounds like Morse code – short dashed whistles for ground alert, one long sustained note for a possible air strike.

I squint my eyes towards the sound but see no movement. With such a sophisticated alarm system, it is no wonder marmots are difficult to spot. However, there is another mountain animal I have come to see: the Alpine ibex. The King came here to hunt the prized ibex, a species of wild mountain goat characterised by its bold and sturdy horns.