Medieval Italian "Ghost Village" Was Submerged In 1947 But Reappears Every Couple Of Decades

The next reappearance is expected to be in 2021, and people just can't wait to see it

Damjan

• Published in Interesting
• June 11, 2020

In the mountains of Central Italy sits a medieval village that has been entirely underwater since 1947. It occasionally resurfaces, every couple of decades or so… Next year people will have the opportunity to see it again – last time was in 1994. People who have witnessed it before say that it is a fantastic site, and the new appearance is getting a lot of attention.

The tiny village was founded by ironworkers in the 13th century and named Fabbriche di Careggine. It is located in the province Lucca In Tuscany, and t became a ghost town when it was flooded by the artificial lake Vagli after the dam was built on the Edron river. 

This 13th century village in Tuscany has been submerged since 1947

After the dam was completed, the lake quickly flooded the city, and all its residents had to move to neighboring towns. Since its creation, the artificial Lake Vagli has been drained four times— in 1958, 1974, 1983, and 1994. And it is speculated that the medieval village might resurface again in 2021.

In normal circumstances, the streets of the old village are usually covered by 34 million cubic meters of water

Lonely Planet says that Enel, the company that owns the dam, disclosed in an announcement that there are plans of draining the lake again, probably in 2021. The previous plan of draining the lake empty in 2016, didn’t go through.

But occasionally, the lake is drained and the medieval community reappears

The last time the ancient village reappeared, 26 years ago, tourists flocked to this tiny lake to admire this usually flooded historical gem. After the Fabbriche di Careggine resurfaces again, it is expected that it will draw tourists again.

It is expected that visitors will be able to go to the ghost village in 2021, after Lake Vagli is drained again

While consultations about draining Lake Vagli are going on, there are no official dates scheduled yet. Still, those who are interested can keep an eye out for new information on the formal Facebook page of the neighboring town Vagli di Sotto.

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Damjan