The legend of the red waters of Lake Tovel

In the Adamello and Brenta park, in the Val di Non, there is a splendid lake, Lake Tovel. To visit it you can leave the car in one of the 4 paid parking lots and then take the path that goes around the lake. It is a 5 kilometer long trail that is accessible to anyone. Along the way you can admire splendid views of the lake and also numerous statues carved in wood. Some of them recall the legend that explains in a mythological way the reason for the main peculiarity of the waters of Lake Tovel. Until the 1960s, they were colored red in the summer. According to ancient history, the reason was a battle that had broken out between Tuenno and Ragoli. The king of Tuenno wanted to marry the princess of Ragoli, but she refused. Eventually she was killed, and it was her blood that would have tinged the waters red. In reality, the cause was an alga, called Tovellia sanguinea, which, however, due to the lack of nitrogen today no longer assumes its characteristic reddish color.