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[Regions
of Italy] 
[Back
to Lombardy]
A
couple of months ago, I mentioned Vagli, the vanishing village near Lucca in
Tuscany. The reason is that the Italian electricity utility, ENEL, keeps it
under wraps -- or water, to be precise -- most of the time, since it just happened
to stand in the place they wanted to use as a reservoir about sixty years ago.
Italy's tallest -- and Europe's second-tallest -- waterfalls have a similar
history. Until 1931, when the Barbellino dam was built, the Cascate del Serio
pursued their natural course, dropping 315 metres in three stages -- of 105,
74, and 75 metres respectively -- into a lovely rockpool below. These days,
they do it between 11 am and 11.30 am, five times a year. The last three opportunities
this year are August 22, September 12, and October 3. If you want to be in
on the scene, then head northeast out of Bergamo, taking the Val Seriana road,
past Clusone, until you get to Valbondione. From there, take the road to Grumetti.
Park here, and then it's 45 minutes on foot, past the village of Maslana at
1,168 metres, and over the medieval Ponte della Piccinella, under which flows
the river Serio. Take the path to the left and, fifteen minutes later, you
will reach some rocks from which you -- and a whole lot of other people - will
be able to admire this outstanding sight.
By Roberta Kedzierski, Milan
[Regions
of Italy] [Back
to Lombardy]