Lamberto Lamberto Lamberto i.e. The mistery of San Giulio Island, is a short novel that got a remarkable public success and was translated in 11 languages.
We draw from the epilogue a tract dedicated to Omegna and its river:
“ Lake Orta, where the island of San Giulio and Baron Lamberto is located, is different from the lombard and piedmontese ones. It’s a lake taht goes its own way. An original one which instead of directing its waters to south, like Lake Maggiore, Lake Como and Lake Garda carefully do, send them to north as a gift to Mount Rosa rather than to Adriatic Sea.
If you are in Omegna, in the Town Hall square you can see a river leaving the Cusio and directing itself straight to the Alps. It’s not a big river but not even a small stream. Nigoglia is its name and calls the feminine article “La Nigoglia”.
The Omegna citizens are very proud of this rebel river and their motto in local dialect is:
La Nigoja la va in su
e la legg la fouma nu.
In italian :
La Nigoglia va all’insù / The Nigoglia flows north and
e la legge la facciamo noi/ we make our own law
It sounds good. Always think with your own mind. It’s evident that the sea receives what it needs at the and: the Nigoglia waters after a short run to north, dive into the Strona, that takes them to the Toce which pours them into Lake Maggiore and from here trough the Ticino and Po , get into the Adriatic Sea, so order is now restored but Lake Orta is however happy with what it’s done.
Is it enough as explenation of a fairy tale that answers to itself only? We hope so.