Читать книгу Through the Italian Alps. The GTA - The Grande Traversata delle Alpi онлайн

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Yellow foxgloves

Notable trees include the red-hued Arolla pine, an attractive conifer recognisable for its clusters of spiky needles. A slow developer, it can grow as tall as 25m and survive on exposed stony slopes up to 2500m, though often deformed by lightning strikes. On a smaller scale, but also at high altitudes, are miniature trees such as dwarf willow. Hailing from the Arctic regions, it forms resistant ground-hugging mats. It has been calculated that a 7mm trunk could be 40 years old, and one growth ring smaller than a tenth of a millimetre. Nature even beats the bonsai masters!

Of culinary interest is the plentiful wild fruit that rewards late summer walkers. Delicious sweet wild strawberries, raspberries and tiny round bilberries are the best known and easiest to identify. Take care not to consume lookalikes, which could be poisonous. Leave wild mushrooms to the Italian connoisseurs, as the vast range of multi-coloured funghi includes numerous deadly varieties.

Wildlife

Be warned that even in these high-tech times the mountains and valleys of Piedmont continue to be populated by mischievous spirits, fairies and even witches. The latter, known as masche, are renowned for playing harmless tricks on people as well as holding riotous dances, though the odd incident with kidnapped children has been recorded! Furthermore upper Valle Pellice, halfway through the GTA, is the haunt of the curious Daü. Somewhat hard of hearing due to its stubby ears, the mythical creature also has trouble keeping its balance because of its uneven limbs, and is likely to take a tumble down the mountainside if frightened by onlookers.