Not very far from my home town, in the northern Appennines, you can find some abandoned villages in the middle (of nowhere?) of the woods. Most of these villages were abandoned during the '60 years, which is also the case of the abandoned villages you can find in Cres-Losinj Archipelag and probably the case of the most abandoned villages you can find in Europe.
But only one village in particular, if visited in the right season, harbours and can show so many specimens of Vipera aspis. The reason of this, in my opinion, is the right altitude (approximately 1000 metres) and the fact that this village is the only place with stones and exposed areas in the middle of thick and green woods.
To reach this village you must walk very hard for a couple of hours and this is why normally nobody kills or threatens this viper population...
All my pictures of the vipers, even if not masterpieces, are strictly taken in situ, without disturbing the animals.
The vipers are not particularly beautiful or with stunning colors: only their amount can be stunning.