Hello!
Today I’d like to tell you an anecdote that I found on an old book from the beginning of 1900. In it, it is told about how, not that long ago in time, it was remembered how in ancient times our valleys used to look wild and about the relationship that human beings had with creatures that used to populate them.
This tale was told by a woman who, as a child, would go with her father to the pasture of the Palà (Rorà) to build one of the very first houses, taking care of the family cattle. Every day howls of the wolves could be heard, even more insistent as she tried to answer them, trying to imitate their call. They could even be seen, approaching with their calls.
One Sunday night, young people of the group gathered to spend the evening together and, as soon as someone saw a pack of wolves on the right side of the valley, everyone joked to imitate their call… the echo of the valley created such an amazing and powerful effect! When they left and everyone was in his own bed, they began to hear the howls of the wolves, getting closer and closer to their homes. All of a sudden the girl could hear the sluggishness of the stones of the roof (which was not yet completed) moving: wolves were trying to sneak into the house… and it would not have taken them that long, since their bodies were sooo thin from hunger!
In order to get out of that trouble, a risky solution was attempted. Hay and straw that were used to sleep were put together and burnt, making the smoke filter through the stones; in this way the wolves were sent away. No one fortunately got hurt, but it also seems that, starting from that night, no one found funny anymore to imitate the howling of the valley wolves!
How to get here:
reach the town of Rorà (To) and continue beyond following the signs for the Parco Montano, then proceed further by following the directions for farmhouse “La Palà”.
Do you want to read the tale in Italian ?