After visiting the top of the Marmolada, we hiked in the Val Ombretta valley to reach the Rifugio Falier where we had lunch. The Val Ombretta was a qaint little valley located near the Marmolada glaciers. The main province, Malga Ciapela is known for its agritourism, where you can purchase fresh, on-site dairy products at local pastures and mountain cabins. In the middle of our hike, we made a pit stop at a little mountain cabin called Malga Ombretta where we tried fresh yogurt. I had the nocciola e miele (hazelnut and honey) flavor and it was bonissimo! I also got to meet some more furry friends (pictured below).  After, we continued our trek through the Val di Franzedaz and walked along a flat green pasture. There were a few times that I spotted a groundhog or marmot digging into their burrows and later discovered that the Val Ombretta is the best valley to listen to their whistles and chirps which start occuring in the late autumn season.

Massimo, our instructor, walking up the trail.

A donkey, living the life, eating some grass.

A resident of the Malga Ombretta Cabin in deep contemplation.

A confident cow standing in the middle of the trail. I didn’t know what to do so I not so gracefully slipped down the shallow hill and scurried past them.

The Rifugio where I had a lovely speck and cheese omlette for lunch.