THE LEGEND OF LAKE TOVEL
Until the ’60s, the fame of Lake Tovel was linked not only to its beautiful romantic atmosphere but also to the famous phenomenon of reddening of its waters.
For a certain period every year, the shores of the lake were tinged bright red. The spectacle was truly striking and it is no wonder that, around the origins of the phenomenon, many stories and legends arose over the centuries.
The most famous of all è the legend of Queen Tresenga.
The story tells of a time long ago when Ragoli, now a small town in Val Rendena, was a very rich town, the head of a great kingdom.
There came a day when the last king of Ragoli died without leaving male heirs, but only a beautiful daughter named Tresenga. The anxiety of the citizens of the kingdom was then very great because they all knew very well that if the princess married, their whole kingdom would become the property of a foreign ruler and this would mean the loss of all wealth for the town of Ragoli. Tresenga, however, was a very intelligent young woman who loved her people so much that she took a solemn oath to renounce any marriage bond in order to save her kingdom.
The beauty and wealth of the young queen però were well known to all the young cadets of the neighboring territories who did not intend to miss the’chance to become rulers of such a powerful kingdom and, at the same time, husbands of the most beautiful princess ever seen.
The most stubborn and haughty pretender proved to be the young and arrogant king of Tuenno, Lavinus. He twice attempted to win Tresenga’s heart, first by displaying all his power with magnificent gifts, and then by trying to soften the princess with a simple bouquet of flowers. In both cases Tresenga’s response was an outraged rejection. The double offense suffered to the young king’s pride soon turned his love into anger, so much so that Lavinus gathered his entire army determined to march on Ragoli and raze it to the ground.
Tresenga, informed by her messengers of Lavinio’s punitive march, questioned her subjects, asking them whether they would rather see her go in marriage to the king of Tuenno or fight a battle that might cost them their lives. The people of Ragoli had not the slightest doubt and immediately sided with the young queen, determined to risk everything for their freedom.
The Ragolians marched to the shores of Lake Tovel, and here they found Lavinio’s army encamped for the night. It began a bloody battle that lasted several days. Tuenno’s army was too strong and prepared to succumb in the face of the weak, though fierce Ragonese people.
Soon all the citizens of Ragoli were barbarously killed and, last, even the beautiful Tresenga perì under arms after fighting tenaciously alongside her people. Her blood and that of all her subjects poured into the waters of Lake Tovel and colored them a macabre vermilion color.
From that sad day, once a year, on the anniversary of the grim battle, as if by magic, the waters of the lake began to turn red again, and there are those who swear that, even today, on full moon nights, the sad figure of the beautiful Tresenga, wanders sighing along the shores of the lake.
Scientific reasons
he Lake Tovel è known for the characteristic reddening that occurred in its waters, due to the action of an alga known by the name Tovellia sanguinea.The phenomenon of reddening occurred in summer during the hottest months. The reddening of Lake Tovel ceased in the summer of 1964. Previously, for several years the alga believed to be responsible for the change had been Glenodinium sanguineum. Some recent studies have determined that the disappearance could be due to the lack of organic load (nitrogen and phosphorus) from the modes of montation (transhumance) of the cattle herds that grazed near the lake. Tovellia è has recently been identified in at least one other alpine lake, Seealpsee in Switzerland.
