Lake Tovel

The lake that once turned red

At the end of a long, wooded valley that opens off the Val di Non, at about 1,178 metres, inside the Adamello Brenta Natural Park, Lake Tovel is one of the most enchanting lakes of the Alps: a mirror of clear, emerald and turquoise water surrounded by dense forests of spruce and larch, overlooked by the pale rock walls of the Brenta Dolomites. It is especially famous for a phenomenon that made it known all over the world: until 1964, in the hot summer months, its waters turned an intense red colour, so much so that it was called the "red lake".

For a long time the phenomenon was surrounded by legends: it was said that the colour came from the blood of the soldiers who died in a battle between the inhabitants of the valley and an enemy army, fought for the love of a princess, Tresenga. In reality, scientists discovered that the colour was due to the bloom of a microscopic alga, later named Tovellia sanguinea, which in certain conditions of light, temperature and nutrients produced a red pigment. Since the 1960s, the phenomenon has no longer occurred, probably because of changes in the agricultural and pastoral activities in the valley, which reduced the nutrients reaching the lake. Today, Lake Tovel remains a jewel of nature: an easy path of about 4 kilometres runs around it, through woods and beaches, and from here trails lead into the heart of the Brenta Dolomites.

Tip: in summer the road to the lake is subject to traffic restrictions and paid parking, with shuttle buses; go early in the morning, when the lake reflects the mountains.

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