Il Paese Sommerso di Fabbriche di Careggine (The Submerged Village of Careggine) - Such a curious place, Careggine. This city, once inhabited by a small population of people during the middle ages, is now only visible once every 10 years when it re-emerges from its watery resting place. The ancient inhabitants had built a church surrounded by a handful of houses directly at the centre of a basin and were apparently forced to move out when, for whatever reason, the valley they called home became submersed with water.

The hidden city was rediscovered quite well in tact during 1946 when workers built a dam in order to utilize the natural flow of the Edron River and create a source of hydraulic power. The dam cut off the water supply to the basin in Careggine for a short time, the land that previously held a lake of water was dried and all that remained was the once lost city. The remains of what was once home to around 150-200 people has only been seen 4 times since its primary resurfacing-- only during the years when maintenance is done on the man made structure does the once lively little town again rest in its drained basin. As you can imagine, this little archaeological site has become something of a Pompei-esque tourist attraction during the few times in history it can be experienced.

When the valley is full, the only glimpse of what lies beneath the calm lake is the very top of the church’s bell tower that can be seen poking out from the centre.