Not everyone will appreciate that rowing has ancient origins and that it was practised back in Roman times. In Italy this discipline made its name in Venice in the 14th century when a decree of Doge Giovanni Soranzo defined the procedures for the staging of competitions between boats. In the rest of Europe, the first official competition we know of dates back to 1715: a race organised on the Thames from London Bridge to Chelsea. In 1818 students from Cambridge and Oxford would found the Leander Club, the oldest rowing society in the world. In Valchiavenna rowing is practised on Lake Novate where the Canottieri Retica association has been active since 2008. It boasts around fifty athletes. In the summer the group proposes courses and outings open to anyone who would like to take up the challenge. There are also advanced sessions for Masters and expert rowers. If you simply observe for a short while from the shore, the sheer beauty that the boats conjure up as they flow across the so-still waters is almost magical. Rowing is a unique, poetic experience. There&´s a total silence broken only by the cadenced sound of the oars splitting the water, the boat picking up speed with the proud bow cutting the lake&´s surface. The ever-so-natural context that frames Lake Mezzola provides a memorable scenario. If your interest in getting to know the sport more closely has been whetted, simply contact the association.