Reshaping

I have very clear memories of the lake remodelling works that were funded by the Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry in the mid-1960s. I remember that outside the Osteria Al Lago they had put up large sheets showing all the plans and maps of the area, showing the proposed road that would encircle the lake. All the men stood there discussing what was going to happen: “We will no longer be the masters of our lake.” Because the lake had been privately owned until the mid-1960s. It was with this project that it became public property. The aim was to create a reservoir for irrigating the farmland of the southern Vicenza plain. At the same time, the project was intended to encourage tourism and to create a basin suitable for rowing competitions. Unfortunately, many years later, none of that ever materialised: no tourism, no rowing and no reservoir. But what struck me most at the time was witnessing, even as a child, what felt like the destruction of the lake. Excavators, lorries, bulldozers and chainsaws arrived. They cut down all the trees around the lake and then, using barges, they placed cranes on the barges and even uprooted the reed beds. By the end of the 1960s, there was a road which had originally been intended as an embankment, but which later became a road running all the way around the lake. Beyond it lay a sheet of water entirely devoid of vegetation: no aquatic plants, no trees, no shrubs. Nothing. A watery desert, you might say. There were fishermen who held fishing rights on their own properties, but they could no longer fish. This was also the moment when private, “professional” fishing effectively came to an end. The wetland vegetation—common reed, cattail, water lilies and also the water chestnut—quickly reclaimed its space, naturally occupying the depth zones that suited them. For the trees, however, the situation was much more difficult. Re-establishing the lakeside trees required active planting. The first efforts were made by the Municipality of Arcugnano. At the time, however, there was little understanding of how to proceed: which tree species should be used, how many trees and shrubs should be planted, and so on. Nevertheless, it was an attempt. It was the first step and, although it did not bring back the plant species most characteristic of these wetlands, it marked the beginning of a reforestation process. Schools later joined in, with teachers and pupils taking part in tree-planting activities.
The local Pro Loco association also began organising community celebrations, such as planting a tree for every child born. In those cases, hedgerows and small areas were created and dedicated specifically to the children born in a particular year. At that time, I was personally involved in these projects organised by the Pro Loco, trying to introduce native species—the ones that had originally grown here—such as willow, guelder rose, maple, hawthorn, blackthorn, alder and some poplars, with the aim of recreating the lake’s natural environment. Then, in the 1990s, the first truly serious project arrived, designed by professionals. They identified the appropriate species and the number of specimens of each species to be planted, allocating them to specific areas and creating ecological continuity between the lake and the surrounding hillside woodlands.