Lago di Campotosto ("Toughfield Lake") is an artificial

lake A lake is often a naturally occurring, relatively large and fixed body of water on or near the Earth's surface. It is localized in a basin or interconnected basins surrounded by dry land. Lakes lie completely on land and are separate from ...

Abruzzo Abruzzo (, ; ; , ''Abbrìzze'' or ''Abbrèzze'' ; ), historically also known as Abruzzi, is a Regions of Italy, region of Southern Italy with an area of 10,763 square km (4,156 sq mi) and a population of 1.3 million. It is divided into four ...

Italy Italy, officially the Italian Republic, is a country in Southern Europe, Southern and Western Europe, Western Europe. It consists of Italian Peninsula, a peninsula that extends into the Mediterranean Sea, with the Alps on its northern land b ...

. The

reservoir A reservoir (; ) is an enlarged lake behind a dam, usually built to water storage, store fresh water, often doubling for hydroelectric power generation. Reservoirs are created by controlling a watercourse that drains an existing body of wa ...

is located at an elevation of 1,313 m and comprises an area of 14 square kilometres. It is located in the natural park known as the "

Gran Sasso e Monti della Laga National Park The Gran Sasso and Monti della Laga National Park is a natural park in central Italy. Established in 1991, it covers an area of , mostly within the provinces of Teramo, L'Aquila, and Pescara in Abruzzo, with small areas in the provinces of Rieti ...

". The lake is reachable via the Italian State Highway 80 from either

L'Aquila L'Aquila ( ; ; ) is a city and ''comune'' in central Italy. It is the capital city of the Province of L'Aquila and the Abruzzo region in Italy. , it has a population of 69,902. Laid out within medieval walls on a hill in the wide valley of the A ...

or the

Adriatic The Adriatic Sea () is a body of water separating the Italian Peninsula from the Balkans, Balkan Peninsula. The Adriatic is the northernmost arm of the Mediterranean Sea, extending from the Strait of Otranto (where it connects to the Ionian Se ...

Coast. Smaller roads lead to Capitignano, Montereale and

Amatrice Amatrice (; Sabino: ) is a town and ''comune'' (municipality) in the province of Rieti, in the Italian region of Lazio, and the center of the food-agricultural area of Gran Sasso e Monti della Laga National Park. The town was devastated by a p ...

Description

During the

Quaternary Period The Quaternary ( ) is the current and most recent of the three periods of the Cenozoic Era in the geologic time scale of the International Commission on Stratigraphy (ICS), as well as the current and most recent of the twelve periods of the ...

of glacier formation, the Campotosto water basin had the form of a double "Y". Towards the end of this period, the Fucino River bed came into being. The upper portion of the artificial lake maintains the previously seen double "Y" formation that on the lower side is shaped more like a single "V". The area where the lake now sits was once a vast peat bog, this used as an energy source by the local small industries up until the early 20th century. Lake Campotosto was created in the 1930s by means of constructing three dikes. The main reason for creating the lake was to establish a water reservoir that could be used to generate

hydroelectric power Hydroelectricity, or hydroelectric power, is Electricity generation, electricity generated from hydropower (water power). Hydropower supplies 15% of the world's electricity, almost 4,210 TWh in 2023, which is more than all other Renewable energ ...

in the Vomano valley. During the construction of Lake Campotosto, a cableway leading to the Capitignano railway station was fortified. It was used to transport building materials and to carry earth away from the excavations. From Capitignano the rail line headed to

following a course that had earlier been used for the transportation of peat. The rail line was abandoned soon after construction of the lake was completed. During the winter the lake freezes completely over while in the fall many people come for a visit to admire the colorful foliage in the nearby forests.

Flora and fauna

The ''Lake Campotosto Reserve,'' located in the

Province of L'Aquila The province of L'Aquila () is the largest, most mountainous and least densely populated Provinces of Italy, province of the Abruzzo region of Italy. It comprises about half the landmass of Abruzzo and occupies the western part of the region. It ...

is a state owned wildlife preservation area. Local species include beech, willow, and snakewood trees. Indigenous to the area are badgers, pheasants, and foxes.

Lakeside attractions

A circular trail about 50 km in length run along the perimeter of Lake Campotosto. It is rather flat in nature. In the summer it serves as a gathering place for many hiking, jogging,

bicycle touring Bicycle touring is the taking of self-contained cycling trips for pleasure, adventure or autonomy rather than sport, commuting or exercise. Bicycle touring can range from single-day trips to extended travels spanning weeks or months. Tours may be ...

or simple romantic walks during the sunset hours. Shorter excursions can be arranged by cutting off one of the two main branches of the lake. A bridge, ''Ponte delle Stecche'' ("The Bridge of Sticks") has been built in one of the narrower sections of the lake. An older unused structure stands nearby. The traveler using this bridge is also able to greatly shorten his lakeside. The neighboring Capannelle Pass, is located about 15 km away and also attracts many cyclists and motorbikers in the warmer months of the year. {{Panorama , image = File:Lago di Campotosto panorama.jpg , height = 200px , alt = , caption = Panoramic view from Lake Campotosto.

Bordering towns

* Campotosto *Mascioni *Poggio Cancelli

External links

Banca dati dei laghi italiani: Campotosto
Campotosto