Arogno, Switzerland.

On a quiet Sunday afternoon, well rested from a day off, I decided to trek down the hillside trails and wander into the small town of Arogno. The tiny village of less than a thousand residents sits high up in the hills, surrounded by tree-covered mountains full of trails to discover and creatures to meet along the way. Walking down the trail from the house into the village I found black, slimy, orange-spotted salamanders wiggling their way slowly across the path, and tiny lizards scampering under the rocks along the side as they heard me coming. The first fuzzy faced friends I made were two curious donkeys roaming through the field that came over to greet me as I passed by their property. Continuing down into town I found a pasture of cows, each with a large bell tied around their neck in case one strays from the group, which means you can hear the group clanking around from miles away. I also passed a group of sheep, llamas, and goats all along the way to the center of town. The most visited spot of Arogno is the beautiful church that sits up on one of the highest points. Climbing up there I passed through a well kept cemetery full of large colorful tombs and vibrant flowers growing along the edges before entering into the church. After spending some time looking down over the quite village and watching the sun disappear behind the hills along the border of the small town I wandered back up along the road to Doggy Days.