And the legend of the barrels? It seems that stories about St Bernards bearing vessels of alcohol began to circulate at the time Napoleon’s soldiers passed through; perhaps the dogs were commandeered to help carry provisions. But it was the enormous popularity from 1832 of a picture – a painting copied and sold throughout Europe in the form of engravings – that sealed the myth once and for all.

The image shows a pair of dogs discovering a traveller half-buried in snow. One of the dogs, with a barrel around its neck, is licking the travellers’ hand; the other is barking, apparently summoning help. The painting is called “St Bernards to the Rescue” – by none other than the English artist Sir Edwin Henry Landseer, famous for his paintings and sculptures of animals, including the Monarch of the Glen, and the lions of Trafalgar Square.

So, it seems that a reputation for consumption of alcohol in life-threatening quantities at holiday resorts can once again be attributed to the English. Sounds familiar? Plus ça change…