Italy Tourism Reopening News

Lost village emerges after 70 years underwater

In April, the remnants of what was left of the village appeared briefly when the lake was temporarily drained for repair work and maintenance on the reservoir after leaks were discovered.

AccuWeather Global Weather Center – May 27, 2021 – After more than 70 years underwater, one of Italy's submerged cities has resurfaced. The lost Italian village of Curon, in northern Italy near the borders with Switzerland and Liechtenstein, recently emerged from under Lake Resia.

A lone church tower rising from the middle of a lake was the only indication that a small city, once home to 900 people who lived in 160 homes, ever existed. The historic steeple inspired a novel titled I'm Staying Here and a Netflix show called Curon.

The 14th-century church has also piqued interest among countless tourists who posted images of the unique sight to social media.

The village was flooded for a hydroelectric plant and part of the merger of two nearby lakes, Resia and Curon—two of three natural basins in the Resia Pass area of the southern Alps— back in 1950, according to the BBC.

Curon had been part of Austria until 1919, therefore many of the residents were unable to speak Italian and were ill-equipped to fight the plan to unite the lakes. Their homes were eventually submerged for the sake of producing hydroelectric energy.

Photos and videos of the abandoned village showing the ruins have been shared on social media.

Azzolini's footage shows local residents walking around the remains of Curon’s more than 160 homes. Some of the structures date back to the 14th century, according to reports.

There are only a couple more weeks until Curon is resubmerged, as the power company that owns the dam will slowly refill the lake.

The lost village of Curon is not the only city to be claimed by a body of water. Many more natural examples come from the ocean swallowing cities whole, akin to tales of the lost city of Atlantis.

Every few decades or so, the submerged 12th-century Italian village Fabbriche di Careggine in the Lucca province of Tuscany breaches the surface of Lake Vagli. The town could resurface once more in 2021, more than 25 years after it last saw the light of day.

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This one is an eco-friendly resort on the Southwest coast of Sicily, between Marsala and Agrigento. And it’s precisely for their “green initiatives” that it caught my eye.

Here are some details for Foresta Verdura Resort by Rocco Forte Hotels, with a great offer at the bottom of the page.

Verdura Resort will re-open its doors on 13 May and welcome spring with its 'Foresta Verdura Resort'. Enriched with 680 new plants, the 230-hectare park is now made up of 7,700 trees, including prickly pear, olive, orange, pomegranate and lemon trees.

As part of this initiative, the resort will help support the local farming communities in which the trees are planted, as they will be able to use the fruits from the trees as a food resource or for income. In addition, the program contributes to a richer biodiversity, as well as protecting the soil. 

Created with particular attention to eco-friendly touches, the resort is equipped with solar panels for the production of hot water, and a water recycling system. To preserve the beauty of the landscape, guests can move around the resort using electric buggies, 350-Lombardo e-bikes or traditional push bikes. 

This same philosophy has been followed when building the twenty new Rocco Forte Private Villas - private and independent residences that have been built sensitively with the environment in mind. Each villa is energy independent thanks to the combination of thermal insulation materials and latest generation fixtures used in the building process, along with solar panels which produce sufficient energy for each unit.

The 230 hectares of greenery of the estate make Verdura Resort a unique destination in the Mediterranean. The 2600-square-metre ‘Verdura Organic Farm’ launched in 2014 is key to the resort and its offerings. The large vegetable and herb garden, which grows produce such as aubergines, tomatoes, peppers, melons, chillies, broad beans, rosemary, sage, mint and wild fennel, is the perfect spot for delicious culinary experiences.