Ancient submerged village set to resurface after decades

An Italian village submerged under water since the 1940s may experience a revival in the coming year.

Fabbriche di Careggine, historic village submerged for decades, to reappear

The village of Fabbriche di Careggine (English name: Careggine Factories) located in Garfagnana, Lucca province in the Tuscany region, Italy. The medieval town from the 13th century was abandoned in 1947 due to the construction of a dam on the Edron River. The dam created the reservoir of the artificial Lake di Vagli used for hydroelectric purposes and water storage for the area in case of fire. Photo: Romano Cagnoni.

In that year, Lake Vagli was flooded, forcing all residents to leave Fabbriche di Careggine and move to the new town of Vagli di Sotto, in the nearby area of the lake. The village dating back to the 13th century gradually disappeared since then and is known as a ghost town. Photo: Goldfinch4ever.

According to Visit Tuscany, the remains of houses, architectural structures, and streets of Fabbriche di Careggine lie beneath 34 million cubic meters of water, making the opportunity to explore this abandoned town very rare. Photo: Romano Cagnoni.

Since the construction of the dam, Lake Vagli has only been cleaned four times for maintenance in 1958, 1974, 1983, and 1994. Each time the water recedes, the image of the village slowly emerges. Shortly after, the lake floods again, and the ghost town sinks deep below. Photo: The Mirror.

The last time the village was seen rising from the deep lake was in 1994. At that time, thousands of people flocked to Fabbriche di Careggine to walk along the streets. Photos taken show underwater, the stone houses, cemetery, bridges, churches, and the village bell tower still intact. Photo: Atlantide.

The plan to drain Lake Vagli was proposed in 2016. However, the plan was not implemented. Photo: De Agostini, Alamy Stock.

The energy company Enel, the organization owning the dam on Lake Vagli, declared that they would drain the lake once again in 2021. They hope that draining the lake could boost tourism in the area, as people may not miss the opportunity to see such a historic town. Photo: Alessio Catelli.

According to Zingnews

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