Peschiera’s Mandracchio Island Restored During ‘Sixties’ Festival

The “Sixties” festival at the end of July restored the Terraglio islet to the local community, the true name of the piece of land created artificially during the post-war years and better known as Mandracchio.

“Those born and living here for many years remembered a barren and disorderly island, a peaceful corner for diving competitions and first loves,” recounts Manlio Bompieri, president of the Gruppo ecologico di Peschiera and one of the promoters and architects of the recovery, started in 1997, of the 4,850 square meters of the Mandracchio.

“The islet had been practically abandoned for about 25 years, after the last state concessions which entrusted it to a fishermen’s cooperative that used it for storage of their nets for a period.” In 1997, the Municipal Administration asked the Finance Department for permission to carry out environmental restoration of the island.

“The occasion arose during the day dedicated to cleaning the seabed,” recalls Bompieri, “an initiative that has now become an annual event attended by all local volunteer associations. We went up to the islet and faced an enormous vegetative mass which, in fact, choked the most important plants dating back to the years when the Mandracchio was established.”

Hypocras, native willows, “pirlar” (a local species of shrub), wild figs, hawthorn and dog rose bushes, elderberry: these are some of the species freed from dense thorns and excessive reed growth, which has now been reduced, returning to their original splendor.

“A significant work of reclamation that still needs to be completed, as there is a small corner left to review and improve with the planting of grass,” explains the president of the Gep, announcing that the Association is already preparing a request for concession from the Finance Department.

However, awaiting a formal “recognition” from the property owner, it was the citizens of Peschiera who wanted to express their gratitude to the volunteers of Gep for their great work.

“Indeed, the ‘Sixties’ festival was created precisely for this reason and we were very pleased,” comments Bompieri, “although our hope is that, once the results are visible, people will commit themselves more concretely by helping us in all environmental recovery projects we have worked on over these years.”