By Enrico Maso, translated into English by Ruth Stephens
Chapter 3 – A trip to the mountains
After a short car journey, the three friends come to a small parking place. There’s a fountain, the sun is shining and there’s a marvellous view.
“Come and look at this,” says Giulio to Ricardo , “Isn’t it beautiful? It’s going to be a fantastic day!”
Riccardo is still a bit grumpy, but in the end he puts his backpack on and the three set off for a walk in the forest. The air is sparkling and the silence is absolute. There are no other people and even the animals seem to be hiding.
“They’re all hibernating, “ says Mattia. He has a real passion for the creatures of the mountains; he can imitate the sounds of many of the birds and can recognise the prints of animals in the snow.
“An animal has been here,” he says, bending to have a closer look, “A deer, I think.”
Riccardo stops to look, too. His problems seem to have vanished and he is beginning to enjoy this day out in the mountains.
After a couple of hours walking, they arrive at the top. The panoramic view is breathtaking and all three stop to take photos.
“I’m glad you insisted yesterday,” Riccardo says to Giulio, “It’s so beautiful here.”
“And well done, Riccardo,” adds Mattia, “When we are together, we three make a good team.”
All three are so enthusiastic that they plan another trip in two days’ time. The next walk would be a bit longer but with an exciting objective: to spend the night in a mountain shelter, in front of the fire.
More?
Oppure scopri il testo in inglese con traduzione a fronte (.pdf) 