Here are two more surprises that renew themselves in the eyes of those who discover, or rediscover, the extraordinary natural landscape surrounding Ivrea, shaped by the moraine hills of its Anfiteatro. The first surprise: carved by the Balteo Glacier, the landscape is dotted with lakes alongside which lie numerous peat bogs. But what exactly is a peat bog? The product of an immensely long process in which masses of plant remains, constantly submerged in water, slowly decomposed due to the near absence of oxygen. Peat is the result of this decomposition: an organic substance that retains large quantities of water and constitutes a precious habitat for many animal and plant species.
The second surprise: it is precisely within this unique natural setting that the famous phenomenon of the “Terre Ballerine,” the Dancing Lands, was born — one of the greatest natural curiosities of the area. They lie within the woodland of the municipality of Montalto Dora, along the route of the Anello dei Cinque Laghi, which connects the municipalities of Montalto Dora, Ivrea, Cascinette d’Ivrea and Chiaverano.
The “Terre Ballerine” formed within a peat bog created by the gradual draining of the ancient Lago Coniglio, situated behind the larger Lago Pistono. Over time, sediment and plant remains filled the lake basin, giving rise to an elastic surface layer of peat, roots and floating vegetation resting on a water-saturated substrate. And here lies the curiosity: this particular structure makes the ground unstable yet springy. Jump on it — literally — and the earth dips and rises slightly, a movement that spreads in waves and causes the surrounding trees to sway. Trees that, in effect, seem to “dance.” You don’t need to be a geology expert to find an experience like this captivating. It comes as no surprise that children find it particularly magical, and are increasingly often brought here by their parents to this place that, in their eyes, is nothing short of enchanted.
