Italian Village Submerged Under Water for Over 25 Years May Soon Become Visible Again
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An Italian village that flooded in the 1940s might resurface again.
According to Lonely Planet, the village of Fabbriche di Careggine (in English, Careggine Factories), located in the province of Lucca in Tuscany, is a 13th-century town that was abandoned in 1947. Due to the construction of a dam on the Edron river in that year, the nearby man-made Lake Vagli was flooded, and all the residents had to leave to nearby towns.
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Since its initial flooding, the lake has been drained four times: in 1958, 1974, 1983, and 1994. And soon, the lake will be emptied again, revealing the sunken ghost town beneath the water's surface, Lonely Planet reported.
Enel, the organization that owns the dam, said in a statement that there is a possibility of emptying the lake once again, most likely in 2021, according to Lonely Planet. Draining the lake could possibly boost tourism in the region — because who could pass up an opportunity to see such a historic town?
Normally, the streets of Fabbriche di Careggine are underneath 34 million cubic meters of water, according to Visit Tuscany, so the chance to actually explore the abandoned town is a rare one. According to Italy Undiscovered, there was a plan to empty the lake back in 2016. However, it seems those plans did not go through.
However, it's not quite the time to start planning your trip yet. Enel is currently only considering the draining and cleaning of Lake Vagli, and no official dates have yet been announced, Lonely Planet reported. The nearby town of Vagli de Sotto has a Facebook page and website where people can see any updates, according to Lonely Planet.
In addition to the possibly emptying of Lake Vagli, Enel has launched a project to promote "responsible tourism" in the region that includes reopening certain sites, creating museums focused on local history, and the redevelopment of the natural environment. More information about this project is on the Enel website.
