Ultra-cold dipolar spinor fermions in zig-zag type optical lattices can mimic spin-orbital models relevant in solid-state systems, as transition-metal oxides with partially filled d-levels, with the interesting advantage of reviving the quantum natur
e of orbital fluctuations. We discuss two different physical systems in which these models may be simulated, showing that the interplay between lattice geometry and spin-orbital quantum dynamics produces a wealth of novel quantum phases.
