What we present today is one of the most incredible legends handed down by our ancestors concerning our Gavia Pass. The story is about Lake White and Lake Black at Gavia Pass. The text here is taken from “Tales and legends of Valtellina and Valchiavenna” by C.Paganoni.
It is said that a long time ago at the foot of those mountains, families lived in a small hamlet among the mountains; among the inhabitants were two very friendly boys named Bianchina and Nerino. Carefree, they spent all free moments together; sometimes their games were joined by Pinotta a touchy and vindictive girl, always in a bad mood, envious of the cheerfulness of the other two friends.
One day Bianchina and Nerino decided to hike to the Gavia Pass by themselves without inviting the sullen girl, who, feeling neglected, left behind, took revenge!
She reached out to her father, the terrible Wizard Vizze, begging him to punish those two who were making fun of her; at first the father did not want to please his daughter, but she insisted so much that he felt compelled.
Realizing the area where two boys were, he unleashed a terrible hurricane: icy gusts ploughed through the mountain as fast as arrows, then a storm of hail, ice and snow hit the two boys who could not find a way out, shivering from the cold from fear they felt that evil forces were being unleashed against them. Until a whirlwind enveloped them, turning them into two blocks of beautifully polished, glassy ice; then when the storm ended, two ice statues appeared on the mountain within a short distance of each other.
In the evening, the worried parents since they could not find the boys, asked the wizards for help from the fairies, as well as all the inhabitants of the mountain, and thus learned of the fate that befell their children.
The spirit of the woods suggested to them that the only one who could help them was the spirit of the waters who had his home up there, below the mountain peaks, where a small spring came singing down among the reddish rocks.
Seven days and seven nights was the time of the journey to reach the spirit of the waters, who once reached took the form of a young man of sky-colored hair and a face as white as snow.
Having listened to the story, the spirit said he could not do much for the boys because too much time had passed since the spell, but there was still a chance: he could make the boys turn into lake dwellers.
The parents agreed as long as they could see their children alive again; the water spirit then filled the hollow of the hand with water and hurled it very forcefully at the ice statues so that it penetrated into the hearts of the two boys, who as if by magic began to drip thanks to the tears that leaked from the youngsters’ eyes, thus melting the layer of ice that surrounded them.
They cried, they all cried, until a pool of water formed near them that was widening to form two basins of lakes.
One of the whitish reflections then called White Lake while the other with dark blue shimmering reflections called Black Lake.
Out of the cold waters of the lakes emerged two beautiful figures, Blackie and Bianchina, who undisturbedly resumed their talk from where they had interrupted it long ago.
Their story is not over, and when they emerge from the waters of crystal-clear transparencies they resume their dialogue of dreams and love; mountain enthusiasts still can catch between the rippling waters and the red of the rhododendrons, the submerged dialogue between Black and White Lake.”
