The Alpini are the branch of the Italian military assigned to the mountains.  They have fought in the Alps for the past I don't know how many wars and mostly on skis.  Today, Gp and I went up snowshoeing to our usual place, Pragelato.  The Alpini are based nearby and use this ski area and the national park attached for training.  We see them up there often, dressed in their fatigue ski gear, tanned and bearded.  Today there were soldiers all over setting up for the annual Alpini competitions.  (Who knew?)  For the first time I saw a woman and a black guy in their ranks.  This is a big deal because women have a LONG way to go before they are no longer considered the "weaker sex" here.  (Think Berlusconi)  Also the black soldier must be a first generation Italian because immigration from Africa to Italy is only about 30 years old.  It is still rare to see people of African descent in any capacity other than "immigrant", working in the markets or doing some sort of menial labor.  Progress!  Anyway, I digress.  The Alpini competitions have ski races and snow shoe races and marksmanship.  They also compete with their search and rescue dogs, a bunch of whom were caged in the back of big vans, ready to practice/play, when we got there.  There was much barking in the air!  There were some Goldens and German Shepherds but the dogs seemed to mostly be big shaggy mutts.  I believe they use rescue dogs and as long as they are large and furry they can join up.  When we started out it was one of those perfect mountain days; sunny, bright blue sky and comfortable.  We tromped up to the "refuge", the hut where they have lodging and food, and stopped to eat and rest.  It was so lovely we ate outside at a picnic table with our jackets off.  After lunch we went in the bar for a coffee and 10 minutes later on coming back out, walked into the flipping arctic circle.  The sun had gone behind a peak and the wind had picked up and was blowing up all the powdery snow.  We had a hell of a time getting down off the top of the mountain.  We had to keep turning our backs to the wind because the blowing snow was blinding and the gusts were so strong we had to hold ourselves in place with our poles.  It wasn't until we made it down into the calm of the valley that we could take it easy.  Oh the excitement!  It was the perfect excuse for a hot shower and an afternoon nap, both of which I enjoyed.  xxoo me

Abandoned farm house still used by shepherds in the summer

Cold sunny day