GENERATIONS OF GENUINE FUN
Getting there couldn’t be simpler. Campodolcino, close by the Liro torrent, across from the camp site and before the road that leads to the hamlets of Starleggia and Splughetta, you’ll find a vast green sloping meadow. You’ve discovered Acqua Merla.
Should the signposting be unclear - worry not - just trust your ears and head for the sound of children’s laughter.
The hubbub of the holidaymakers and the noise from see-saw and swing will do the rest.
Yes we’re talking about a playground. But not just any playground. This genuinely green oasis has seen generations playing and growing together. Times move on, children become adults, yet the next generation duly turns up because the park has retained all its magic, never failing to draw the children in.
Acqua Merla gets its name from the spring whose source is at the head of the park and whose wholesome qualities were recorded as long ago as 1186. However, for the generation of the 70s and 80’s through to the present it’s synonymous with the name “the marble track”.
Everyone knows of the long “serpentone” which carries water from the spring itself down to the valley. Consider it closely. The channelled water doesn’t appear crystal clear but seems more rainbow-like: it’s the ricocheting effect of marbles racing head to head towards the finishing line and victory - with the lucky owner in close pursuit!
An age-old game which has occupied generations for hours on end. Once there would be iron marbles then glass as times changed. What has not is the “serpentone” itself, apart from a little reinforcement of the parabolic curves, with some transformed into tunnelled sections, duly heightening the suspense.
Anyone lucky enough to come across the park for the first time on a hot August day is sure to be much taken by the spectacle and might well ask themselves “am I in the mountains or at the seaside?” Holidaymakers and locals relaxing, basking in the sun or enjoying picnics with friends and family. Children in bathing suits busy building sandcastles or paddling in the “serpentone’s” waters.
Complete with ample parking and refreshment kiosk, nearby camping and representing a real sun-trap from early morning, handily placed along a section of the Via Spluga the park remains a real flagship for Campodolcino and its many appassionati.
Come and find out for yourself.
