The 12th-century Fabbriche di Careggine village in Italy has been underwater for 25 years. But that may soon come to the surface again…
The medieval settlement had its inhabitants until the 20th century. It is located in the area of Tuscany, and was first evacuated and deliberately flooded in 1946, during the construction of the hydroelectric dam on the artificial lake Valji. Half a century later, the whole thing has sunk.
Immersed under 34 million cubic meters of water, the almost unchanged buildings and structures of the abandoned village, including stone houses, a bridge, a cemetery, and the church of San Teodoro, are still visible, but only when the dam is empty due to maintenance. According to tourism officials, this happened only four times after the village was flooded – in 1958, 1974, 1983 and 1994.
In a Facebook post, Lorenza George, the daughter of former Ilio mayor Domenico Georgi, said it could be dried up next year. Authorities have been trying for years to clear the lake and bring the ruined village back to the surface, as it would address many issues related to tourism and job creation.
