Lake Como, Italy has all the ingredients to make for the perfect holiday.

Snakes or serpente are reptiles that live in various habitats all over the world; dry stone walls, sunny woods, dark holes and crevices, under rocks, in amongst piles of firewood, long grass, they can even stay hidden under a pile of old leaves!

They are carnivorous reptiles and eat such things as; mice, rats, birds, insects..even fish! Snakes do not have ears therefore they can only feel vibrations through the ground. A good idea when you are outdoors or if the children are just outside playing, is to take your radio/ipod outside (if possible) and sit it on the ground (out of direct sunlight of course) and play your music, this will help keep snakes away! If you are going for a walk in the woods, mountains etc, take a walking stick (or find an old branch on your travels) and use this as you go along, the vibrations should help warn snakes off.

Snakes have various methods of defending themselves such as hissing loudly, excreting a foul-smelling liquid from glands on their body and playing dead, whilst others decide to take on the defense method of other more aggressive snakes like the viper by swinging their flattended head and neck out towards the predator and hissing loudly, giving a warning that they may strike!

The majority of snakes are not poisonous, but there is a minority of them that are venemous, and if bitten, can be fatal to humans causing extremely painful injury or even death. Therefore with any type of snake bite, you should always seek medical attention immediately!