Mr. Marmot relaxes below the Seceda gondola.
22 July 2016. Cows abound in the Alpe di Siusi and the Val Gardena in Italy’s north. True wildlife is a little harder to find. In fact, we’ve been hoping to spot a marmot here or in Switzerland for the past 4 years. We’ve taken “marmot trails” and seen nothing but cartoonish signs claiming the critters were about. Finally, the other day, we not only saw a marmot, but Ric captured a fine photo that I wanted to share with you. And for fun, here are a few more pictures of the animals that dot the trails we have traversed for the past 3 weeks.
Please click on any photo for a better view and a caption.
These cows formed a road block on a trail. We had to climb over the rocks to the left to get by. I think they were checking passports.
Many trails run right through pastureland. One has to look out for electric fences and cattle guards.
Warning about maternal cows. Not too sure about the choice of English as “suckler cows.”
Pasture with a view of the Sassolungo and Sassopiatto. Not bad digs.
King of the hill.
A foal and mommy mingle with the cows.
Came across this carved horse on one of our tougher hikes.
Horse drawn carriage on the Alpe di Siusi.
Met this little guy standing by a trail hoping, I think, for an apple.
A llama farm near Santa Cristina.
A woman walks her two dogs up the trail, high above Santa Cristina.
We see many dogs on trails and in lifts. This one is riding a funicular.
Goats galore at the Rifugio Marinzen!
Baby goats, smaller than our cats. Could not have been more than a couple of weeks old.
And more goats at Malga Laranzer. Malga means alpine dairy operation.
This little cat was giving me stink eye as we walked through the village.
Libby on our lovely terrace. Cats had a nice vacation, too.
Girovaga 
Glad your cats are having a good vacation too. They are probably delighted to be with you instead of in Rome with a sitter.
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I think they are really enjoying it, except for the thunderstorms. Libby is hiding under the banquette right now, in fact, as we had a big storm move through.
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What wonderful weather you had in this ‘fantasy’ land. Can’t week to meet your kitty cats.
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And they you, Marcia!
We did have good weather! Only one day that caused us to stay close to home (so far).
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Does the marmot dig holes in pastures similar to the ground hog/woodchuck? I am surprised Ric was able to get the picture. It looks fun – enjoy!
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He did have to zoom in a bit. The marmot was about 30 feet below us. I don’t know if they dig. They live high up, always in rocky areas with scant grasses/low alpine plants. Maybe they use the rock crevices?
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I enjoyed all the photos. The scenery there is mind boggling. So beautiful.
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Thank you! We never tire of the views.
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What adorable baby hosts! The scenery is breathtaking! I like you in your coral tee shirt!! Good color on uou😊
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Thank you! I love the reds you know! The baby goats were so soft and cute! I picked up the tiniest one and he weighed about 3 lbs.
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Great photo of the marmot! Looks just like the groundhog in my yard! Hope you had a great trip, including those lucky kitties of yours.
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Hey, we just read up on marmots and were interested to see they are related to the groundhog. In fact, in Italy they call Feb 2 “Il giorno di marmotta.” We’ve had a great time. Now in our last week. Having a T-storm this afternoon and Libby is not enjoying that!
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