Fiume Zoico torrent
Creno Lake in the mist
Nino Lake
Spilunca gorge
We dreamed of it : Brigitte did it ! …
Philippe
A Casa Chjuca : a small piece of the Paradise …
Marie Christine and the team from Champagne.
The Fiume Zoico river
Only a 20 minutes walk away, you will discover a torrent with its superb large
basins one can consider as true natural lakes. The river flows down in between
green hillslopes of our so beautiful mountains. A pure and cristalline water
comes straight down from the 2313 metres high Punta Alle Porta.
An unforgetable walk ...
The Creno Lake
On the way to the GR20, after a one hour walk on a trail without any particular
problems, walking near to several sheepfolds and the small Arate lake, then
going through a small forest of Laricio pine trees, you will get to this
peaceful moutain lake.
It is said this lake was created by the Devil himself : he would have cut into
the moutain using his hammer ! Since then, thanks to the prayers of a shepherd
and of an old man which dried up the lake, the Devil fled away.
The GR 20 and the Nino Lake
The Nino Lake on the GR20 is 4 hours walk away from the cottage. Start off from
Soccia or from the Vergio mountain pass. You will never forget the majesty of
this unique site. The lake shore holds the very peculiar vegetation called
'Pozzines'. These are peat bogs grass covers of a light green colour. They
first developped several millenia ago, and they are made up of several moss
species. The name 'Pozzine' comes from a botanist called Briquet. He called
them like that in 1910 because of the water holes name in Corsica ('i pozzi').
Indeed the peat bogs are greenier than British lawns, and they are dotted by
ponds where the bright blue of the sky can be seen. The grass cover living in
an excess of water slowly dissolves at its base leading to peat. It is here,
due to cooler tempreratures, water availability, and the nice grass expanses,
that wild pigs and cows come to graze and eat during the Summer. They risk
downgrading this unique ecosystem, but at the same time they help limit any
small shrub expanse. One must gain some kind of equilibrium ... These
'Pozzines' let quite a few vegetation species develop : 'grassettes' (small
carnivorous plants feeding on insects drawn to the water), some fragile
violets, buttercups always tired and half crouching, or monkshoods can be
found.
The Spilunca gorge
Going down into the Spilunca gorge you will successively go through the Aitone
forest, with its very old Lariccio pine trees, and a pink granite formation
around Evisa. The Spilunca trail is a traditional road which has been preserved
to modern days. It crosses several times the river, with the help of single
arch italian bridges before reaching the village of Ota. You recognize several
tree types along the way : oak, strawberry, ash, fig, olive. At the Zaglia
bridge, check out the large river stone basins and have a dip. Do not hesitate,
even if the water is slightly fresh !