In the tiny Medieval villiage of Borgo in Piana Crixia, behind a breathtaking Bizantian Church, stands this miracle of nature, overlooking a spectacular valley - with the beautiful Bromida River flowing below it. It defines beauty, tranquility and Timelessness. The "mushroom" has many legends. One is about a bolt of lightning which is said to have struck it long long ago, and oil slowly began to flow from it. This oil was carefully collected and for a long time it was used exclusively to light certain religious traditions in the church. Until one day ... an old lady living in the tiny hamlet of Borgo had trouble with a sick pig. She went in secret to collect a very tiny amount of oil for her pig, to try and heal her. The oil stopped flowing at once and the pig died. Then there is the story of Napoleon who led his battalions through many significant battles in this area. You see numerous monuments and signs of him in this area. Napoleon wanted the mushroom, but like the Spinx in Egypt, that was impossible, so, like the Spinx in Egypt, he decided the next best thing would be to shoot at it.... Mother Nature was not going to give him that pleasure, though: as the soldiers started setting up the explosives around the Mushroom,a dense fog started rolling in, covering the mushroom and making the mushroom barely visible. To the delight of the inhabitants of the area the fierce soldiers were struck with fear and superstition and they abandoned the destructive mission at once. The Mushroom still stands today. Borgo is a very very old and a tiny hamlet that lay protected between the present Bizantian church at the top of the hill and a magnificent castle from around 900AD, but was destroyed and rebuilt and destroyed finally in the 17th Century by the Spaniards. The Castle was built at the entrance to the top of the hill and afforded protection to the inhabitants of Borgo (Cobblers, Blacksmiths, Tradesmen, Apothecaries and the like.) Most of the 900 year old houses still stand there. A modern Castle now guards the entrance.