This Summer Go And Hug Rogolone, The 290 y.o Oak Tree of Lake Como
© Lakeside - Rogolone
Hugging trees is always a good idea.
Believe it or not, forest therapy - this is the name of the art of abandoning yourself to the vibrations of nature - gives well-being, eases migraines, chases away depression and increases the ability to concentrate (as Matthew Silverstone says in his work “Blinded By Science ").
As you probably already know, trees in Japan have always been considered a source of emotional and physical healing: they are able of conserving all the energy of the world. That's why people there regularly practice the so-called Forest Bathing (shinrin-yoku): they go through the woods and absorb the wisdom and peace of ancient forests, taking long walks through the trees to stimulate the immune system.
The good news is that it’s not necessary to live in Japan to experience a shinrin-yoku. You can practice it wherever there’s a woodland, so even on our wonderful Lake Como if you plan to drop by in these summer months!
Image via Getty
But let's get straight to the point: there’s a giant tree on Lake Como and when you’ll see it, believe us, you’ll feel like hugging it immediately. It stands in a clearing near Menaggio since - hold on tight - 1730.
You got it right: Lake Como is home to the oldest and largest oak tree in Northern Italy and one of the most MAJESTIC in Northern Europe! A tree that received the title of protected natural monument on December 18th, 1928.
We’re talking about Rogolone: more than a secular tree, more than a monument; a grandfather, or a great-grandfather, a gentle giant to whom all the Larians can only be affectionate as to a longtime friend.
Part of Lakeside crew at Rogolone: Laura and Pepito
About Rogolone: an extraordinary example of resistance, between history and legends
Rogolone (aka Rugulòn in local dialect) has a circumference of about 8 meters: at least 6 people are needed to embrace it. The bark of its trunk, crossed by deep longitudinal grooves, has the color and appearance of the rock, right like the one of the ancient stone seat at its base.
Like all great heroes, Rogolone has a wound: in the 1980s a miserable man looking for wood cut one of its huge branches.
Located in the municipality of Grandola ed Uniti, at 450 meters above sea level, Rogolone grows in a clearing belonging to Velzo hamlet, near the “Bosco Impero” region. From Como SS340 (direction Menaggio) follow the indications for Grandola ed Uniti and park at the municipality.
Next to Rogolone you’ll see Rogolino, his “little” friend: 25 meters high, with a circumference of about 4 meters. It seems that Rogolone and Rogolino are the last survivors of a fascinating crown of ancient trees that surrounded this magical and fairy-tale clearing (comprising a water source as well).
Image by Ernesto Blotto
In the past, the large size of the two trees has inspired legends and beliefs about their age: until a few years ago it was said that Rogolone was even thousands of years old. The disputes were resolved in 1988, when Italia Nostra organized a party at Rogolone entitled "The Rugulòn: history of a tree", when the results of the dating carried out by the Dendrochronological Laboratory of Lausanne were made public: Rogolone has been vegetating since 1730, Rogolino since 1820.
Tradition has always linked Rogolone to the place where the elderly of the neighboring villages had gathered to mark the boundaries between the territories: a document (dating back to 1530) records that important meeting.
According to other theories, the two trees represented a place where, in ancient times, a pagan festival was celebrated in honor of spring, accompanied by magical-religious rituals. In fact, it seems that local witches used to gather at Rogolone to exploit the particular magical properties of the tree: here they prepared their potions, dancing around the fire and sacrificing gifts to the devil.
Why we should all hug Rogolone
Sitting down to admire Rogolone suggests how extraordinary nature can be in its stubborn desire to resist the flow of time.
Rogolone is life: embrace it and feel its beating heart!
The world has always been (today even more) shaken by wars, pandemics, anachronistic discriminations; when you need a bit of silence in the midst of all that distressing noise, go to this old tree.
Ask him what shape his thoughts have after all that's going on out there.
Call him by its name.
Listen to him.
Sometimes the silence of nature can give us unexpected answers.
Source: Lombardia Turismo
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