Tartaruga di Hermann, the little wild tortoise we found in Montebeni

Living in Montebeni is not for the faint hearted when negotiating the steep switch back roads and the fun with single lanes and blind bends to the top, though it is totally worth it for the tranquility, fresh air, insanely beautiful views over the city and the space it provides for our four pets; two cats, a tortoise and a dog.

Whilst on a dog walk yesterday in the nearby woodland (up and down cosy Alta Via routes), we found what we thought was a run-away domestic tortoise. Thinking it was noble of us to stop and "rescue it", little did we know that these protected land-dwelling reptilians are actually native to the area. Also, they are seen as an endangered species – which applies to my own tortoise too, as in law she is not considered to be a pet, hence the legal necessity for a CITES 'live animal' certificate when travelling overseas with a tortoise. This one, however, although passive and adorable, was not in fact domesticated, and should have been left roaming wild... Oops, we dodged a big, fat fine there.

Found this little tortoise (girl as she has a flat underbelly) in the tall grass caught under a woodland fence

Thankfully, it had been eating and drinking enough, because despite my son being super gentle with it on the journey home to ours, it pooped and peed on the way, which was two minutes from the woodland where we found it. My son was quick enough to move out of the way to avoid an ASBO-worthy sh*tfest on his shirt.

As I keep a tortoise of my own, I am confident with looking after them and was excited about a little friend addition for mine, though didn't really know what to expect on a first introduction between them. Still, it was fascinating to see our fifty year old Western Herman tortoise,"PennyB" rub noses with the cute Italian baby Westie! No aggression whatsoever, just lots of love, and tbh it made me really want to keep it. My maternal instinct was on overdrive but logic and legality had to prevail.

Having read up on tortoises in Italy, and realising our mistake when illegally removing an Italian wild tortoise from the wild, it upset me to think that we had to put it back, especially as we had just pulled it from under a fence and my PennyB tortoise had just made a new buddy! She would have made a cute companion for life, but now the little one must go back to her natural habitat, to thrive and live safely in the tree-dense hillsides of Montebeni (many olive groves and vineyards). Twas a very short-lived and sweet friendship between them!

Here is the moment my son realised it was a tortoise and not a grass snake and pulled her out of the low fencing.

I was very wrong about it being a domestic escapee!

A couple more pics of this cutie...

The bond was adorably instant and friendly. I think mine is maternal

She snuggled up to mine at sleepy time, before heading home.

Cute to witness a wild and a domestic tortoise bonding, though sad to put her back in the woodland later

A photograph I took on the same walk, loving the huge Aloe Vera and orange tree

This is her when we found her, in the brambles at the base of a forest boundary

Travel really is the best education. But we are glad to have researched it, to see that the laws would not allow us to keep her. Just as well, as I'm sure she prefers not to be restricted in a domestic tortoise run, despite the daily salad buffet being topnotch, she'd rather be with her creep, in the shady forest. Besides, four animals is more than enough for us to cope with!

Creep (n) - the collective noun for a group of tortoises.