The Maira Valley in the Cottian Alps is one of the valleys in the Southwestern Alps that has lost more than 80 percent of its population over the past 120 years. However, this valley is different: as early as the 1970s, the first returnees from the city settled here, and this new influx has not ceased, unlike in other valleys. Why do people today consciously choose to live in this remote and hard-to-reach mountain valley when life in the city could be simpler and easier? The answers provided in this volume, through words and images, clearly illustrate how limited our perspective is when we view the modern world solely through the lens of large cities and metropolises. Goats in the pasture, dogs, children, a craving for fresh greens in spring, meadows among the rocks, alongside thyme and lavender. Summer means work, always.