Italy: ‘Beautiful’ lake hides a ‘mysterious’ abandoned town with only a tower visible

Rome: Water can hide all kinds of secrets. But while shipwrecks and sea creatures might be expected, a bell tower is more unusual.

But Lago di Resia in Italy’s South Tyrol region is famed for the bell tower that emerges from its depths. The artificial lake was created to unify two lakes.

The plan was created in 1940 and was designed to support a new hydroelectric plant. However, the two smaller lakes weren’t the only victims of the dam project.

Several villages fell inside the reservoir plans. Despite protests from local residents, the pretty villages of Curon, Arlung, Piz and Gorf were entirely flooded and submerged after the war in 1950.

Around 1,000 villagers were forced to leave the area while 163 houses and 120 farms were destroyed. Many families relocated to other villages in the South Tyrol or left the area entirely.

But while the majority of impacted homes were demolished with explosives, Curon’s bell tower was left standing. The 14th century steeple is still visible above the water.

During winter, the bell tower can be reached on foot if the water of Lago di Resia freezes. Legend says it’s still possible to hear the bells toll on a dark winter night.

However, the bells were removed from the tower in 1950 just weeks before the lake was created. The tower features in the Italian supernatural Netflix drama series “Curon”.