Do you know the story behind Misurina Lake in the Dolomites?

The legend of Lake Misurina is a fascinating and melancholic story set among the majestic Dolomites, specifically near the Tre Cime di Lavaredo.

Once upon a time, there was a little girl named Misurina, the daughter of King Sorapìss, a kind giant who ruled over a valley in the mountains. Misurina was a beautiful girl, but extremely capricious and spoiled. Nothing could satisfy her for long, and she always desired new and different things.

One day, Misurina learned about the existence of a magical mirror, guarded by a fairy who lived on Mount Cristallo. This mirror had the power to read the deepest thoughts and desires of anyone who gazed into it. The girl became infatuated with the idea of owning it and spoke of nothing else to her father.

King Sorapìss, who loved his daughter more than anything, was deeply concerned about her desire. He knew that obtaining the mirror would not be easy, and he feared the consequences. However, Misurina’s persistent insistence pushed him to do anything to see her happy. So, he decided to embark on a journey to the fairy’s dwelling to ask for the precious mirror.

When Sorapìss reached the fairy and explained his request, she was moved by the giant’s devotion to his daughter but saddened by Misurina’s capricious nature. In the end, she agreed to give him the mirror, but on one condition: Sorapìss would have to sacrifice himself, transforming into a mountain, to create the necessary shade to protect the valley from the scorching sun.

Despite the terrible price to pay, Sorapìss agreed out of love for Misurina. When he returned to his daughter with the mirror, Misurina was initially happy. But as she looked into the magical mirror, she realized the sacrifice her father was about to make. In an instant, Sorapìss’s body began to transform: his feet rooted into the earth, his arms stretched toward the sky like the branches of a tree, and his face turned into rough rock.

Seeing her father transform into a mountain, Misurina was overwhelmed with immense sorrow. Her tears began to flow copiously, enough to fill an entire valley, giving life to Lake Misurina. It is said that those tears continued to flow until they completely filled the valley, forming the lake we admire today, with its clear, crystalline waters reflecting the surrounding mountains.

And so, King Sorapìss became a mountain, and Misurina became a lake. The place is still enveloped in an aura of melancholy and beauty, a symbol of unconditional love and sacrifice.