I can finally say I’ve visited the marmots at Chiareggio in the Valmalenco region of the Valtellina in Lombardy.
These little critters look a lot like an oversized guinea pig, but are described by Wikipedia as “ground squirrels”.
They’re cute little fellas who are now so tame they’re happy to show off for tourists and will even eat a carrot out of your hand if you’re lucky.
I hear you’re discouraged to feed them as they apparently go into hibernation early, come out of hibernation early and then subsequently die in winter.
This information was given to me by a wise elderly tourist who then proceeded to feed the marmots carrots, along with his young friend who virtually charged into the burrow brandishing the carrot as if it were a light saber.
Chiareggio is unfortunately a bit like a mountain version of Rimini in summer – full of people – and it wasn’t easy to enjoy the wildlife.
But in addition to many marmots on display (about eight we think), we also saw a couple of squirrels and plenty of wildflowers if you want to take an excursion.