This post is also available in: Italian
If you fancy a nice and easy walk in the woods, also with your children or grandchildren, the Lake of the Fairies (“Lago delle Fate”), on Mount Rosa, is the right choice: crystal-clear emerald waters and a fascinating fairy tale await!
The lake is near Macugnaga, at the entrance to Val Quarazza, at 4.265 ft, on Mount Rosa. It is actually an artificial basin dug when the dam to retain the waters of the Quarazza stream and produce electricity was built. This beautiful pool of water offers small beaches, wide soft meadows, and the awesome sight of Mount Rosa reflected in its emerald waters – unfortunately, the lake is not suitable for swimming.
Visitors can reach the lake after an easy one-hour walk along a dirt road, starting from the village of Macugnaga or the hamlet of Isella. The latter offers a large parking lot. Two are the actual path to follow: the Great Walser Path of Mount Rosa and the Italian Path. The lake takes its name from one of the many local legends: in the moonlight, fairies walk on the water, while the gnomes, called “Gut Viarghini”, collect stones from the underground: if they hear someone coming, they’ll immediately freeze, turning into statues. According to another legend, the gnomes look for gold in the ancient “Guia” abandoned mine – they want to bring it to the fairies who live around the lake, in exchange for blackberries and blueberry jam; the fairies would eventually use the gold to embroider their garments and prepare some magic dust for flying with the leftover.
This post is also available in: Italian
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