The Dog Hotel in Arogno, Switzerland

I'm not sure what I enjoyed more, being surrounded by mostly friendly dogs or the remote setting in the hills of the small Swiss town. All the leaves had previously fallen from the trees, so I would take the dogs along the leaf covered trails up the mountain multiple times a day. Besides cleaning up after them and making sure they all got fed, the rest of my time was spent sitting outside keeping them company, and allowing them to do the same for me. The property overlooked the peaceful town of Arogno, and beyond rows of ever growing foothills the white capped alps lay above everything else on the horizon, their size and stature reminding me of other ranges I've been fortunate to sit and stare at earlier in the year. Arogno is in the Italian part of Switzerland, only a few minute walk from the border. The other volunteers and I drove across the border to pick up and bring back pizzas one night, while the rest of the meals were home cooked and delicious. A few times when family or friends shared in the meals the fast Italian spoken at the table made the meal feel fully authentic.