The Lake of Posta Fibreno recalls a traditional cartoon of an old crosswords magazine, where you have to find surreal details, hidden in a scene of everyday life.
The swim of the coots | Ph. Federico Cadalanu - Trentaremi
Even at first look, the lake shows little of everyday life. Starting from the colors: almost more green than blue, not a swampy but a bright green, between aquamarine and jade. Even the peace that reigns on the shore has nothing to do with urban clamor. But that it is a place where it is worth stopping to look, as the name already reveals. “Posta”, that is stop-over. So, stop as you are, “keep your eyes peeled”, ready to hoop any oddities with your pencil. Pay attention, it is a difficult game: even the writer could find only a few elements and had to ask for solutions.
Here is the first: a nutria, a nutria! But after seeing the first, here is a second one. And yet another. And another one. But how many nutrias are in this lake? You just don’t understand how it was possible not to see them since the very first moment. You need method to track down the oddities of this place. Let's start from the edges. A building is facing the water towards the west bank. It is the fish farm of Villa Gallio. The complex is a symbol of the cardinal pomp of the second half of the sixteenth century. Also this one, therefore, was not difficult to guess.
The fish farm of Villa Gallio | Ph. Federico Cadalanu - Trentaremi
Ph. Federico Cadalanu - Trentaremi
Now, let's go to the other end, the south one. Can't you see anything? Yet something is moving: the rushes on this islet are moved by the wind. Nothing in particular, except that the rushes are very straight while moving. More than moving around, it is the earth beneath them that moves. It is the floating islet of Posta Fibreno, the so-called Rota. If you play to find the original beauties of the Lazio countryside, reading the Latins is allowed by the rules. Pliny the Elder called the Rota “the midpoint of Italy”, but the most beautiful description was given by Marco Terenzio Varrone: the water of the lake is Linfa Commozia, because the vision of the island is touching.
A nutria in action | Ph. Federico Cadalanu - Trentaremi
There are still a couple of unusual aspects to find... go for it!
In the green water, some trout run away. We can say: it's not an oddity, a trout in a lake. And instead those trouts are special. In fact they are called Trout of Fibreno. Endemic, they live only there and are the smallest salmonids in the whole Italy. It is not worth fishing them: you eat very little and you can get a salty fine.
The last detail stands on the bottom of the lake. Covered by rust and green algae, a crucifix of great beauty concludes the game. Until the discovery of something new.