Here some pics from 4 days in Friuli, Italy:
http://www.herpetofauna.at/bilder/Geral ... thumb.html
There seemed to be unusually dry weather conditions, nearly everywhere the uppermost soillayer was dry, also many plants showed signs of water deficiency.
Also the numbers of active reptiles were, despite being in the middle of the mating season, subjective of course, quite low.
For the nikon - photographers i can recommend the 300 4.0 AF-S, it's a great lens, esp. for lizard in-situ clicking. Except for the snakes, all pictures have been taken with it.
Cheerio!
Gerald