The photo below was not done in Photoshop, I promise. The medieval tower rises out of Lake Reschen, only a few miles from both the Swiss and Austrian borders (set foot in 3 countries in 1 day!). It's not quite on the Rome-Florence-Milan-Venice route, but if you're coming to Italy via Innsbruck, Austria, or are planning to ski or hike in the Dolomites or bike in the area, definitely stop for a visit.
The Story
The partly submerged bell tower (and fully submerged town) were not the result of a natural disaster but of a man made dam. Over 150 homes in the towns of Graun and Reschen were covered in water when the Montecatini energy company (now Edison Energia) dammed the area in the 1940's to unite the Reschensee and Mittersee lakes.
Now just called the Reschensee (or Lago di Resia or Lake Reschen), it's much more than a photo-op. In the winter, walk across the ice to the tower, or ski in the area. In the summer, kite-surf, cross the lake on a boat, or go hiking or mountain biking. Scuba divers say there isn't much to see underwater anymore, since the rest of the submerged town has become mostly sediment.
Photo by Cristina63
Need help planning your trip to Italy? Italy Beyond the Obvious does custom trip planning. If you like what you read, subscribe to this blog for free.
Comments