The mountains surround Udine in a massive embrace. They are pale gray in the day, and bluish in the setting sun. Jagged, steep and imposing are these baby Alps. The Dolomites are concentrated in a small corner of NE Italy. The people here speak Italian as well as the local Friulian dialect. The hearty local food aims to winterize your body with hefty portions of cheese, polenta, meat and wine.

Once escaped from the Venice inspired and Austrian influenced realms of Udine, quickly the landscape changes. The mountains are now uniquely focusing your attention. They impart a sense of invigoration through their inspiring peaks and a feeling of relaxation beside their majesty. Hillside villages with smoky chimneys, each house complete with a fully stocked woodpile, fresh mountain water streaming from public taps, and the Evergreen trees cleaning the air all combine to form the magnificent smell of an alpine forest. I stayed in a petite town, Laggio di Cadore, with two restaurants and one church. This was the view from my room, followed by some pictures of the little town.

It’s puzzling, but, judging from the flags, somehow this house supports the racist southern past of USA as well as Texas, Australia and Friuli.

The mountains were a never-ending source of prime photographic material. The colors of fall were just starting to settle into their yearly retreat.

Lunch was a pretty decent lasagna (half veggie, half four cheese), cannolo, and wine. The last is something the guy was making called “spaghetti ice cream.” I was too excited to get my amazing pizza back to my apartment and eat it in front of the wood-burning fireplace, so no dinner pictures.

Lizards are awesome.

Cats are awesome.