Altopiano di Piné was not always as beautiful as itis today. A terrible spell cast by a bad sorcerer, in fact, had transformed the two lakes into dark masses of black, fetid water, while the surrounding meadows and woods were desolate wastes of reddish, sterile porphyry.

At thattime there lived, in a house near Lake Serraia, a beautiful girl named Rosalpina, who spent her days crying with melancholy at seeing her land so arid and her lake so dark that it seemed dead.

One day it happened that the girl, while walking as usual on the shore, happened to see that in the water were dancing some strands of bright green grass and that many, many flowers glittered like the rays of the sun. Not believing her own eyes, Rosalpina entered the lake and plucked the scented grass and flowers. But she did not notice, the poor thing, the time that passed and after a few hours she fellasleep, letting herself be carried away by the current.

The Fairy of the lake found her like this, the next morning: she slept peacefully, clutching a large bunch of grass and flowers to her breast. The beautiful fairy was moved to compassion, picked up the maiden and took her home.

"You will stay with me forever," he told her, when Rosalpina woke up."All right, my good lady," replied the young woman, "but you must promise me that you will break the spell that keeps my land imprisoned." You will make the water clear and transparent, the meadows green and the flowers colorful!

The Fairy accepted and from that day, every spring and for one night only, Rosalpina comes out of Lake Serraia carrying a chest full of seeds. He spreads them with full hands on the shores and on the nearby meadows, so that butterflies and daisies, field lilies and orchids give life and color to the plateau and its lakes.