Located in the beautiful National Park of Abruzzo, Lazio and Molise there is the lake Barrea. It seems so natural but actually is artificial and serves as water supply.
Historically there is not very much to say as it was already planned in 1922 but only 30 years later it was finally realized by building a dam at the river Sangro at the mouth of the river Barrea. Today the area is protected.
There are two little villages: Villetta Barrea and Civitella Alfedena. There are three entrances coming from Rome via Forca d’Acero, and coming from east from Castel di Sangro and Pescasseroli, where we came from.
The lake has about 225 ha, is 31 meters deep at it’s deepest point and located in 990 m above sea level. With it’s five kilometers length and 500 m width it is a pretty big surface of the most fascinating blue. There are many birds like herons, ducks, kingfishers, and much more. We saw actually some deer bathing at the shore of the lake. People can sunbath or go swimming in the lake, there are many hiking paths around and even with the bike I saw several people.
We had a short walk along the shore, sat a while on an old bridge, inhaled the quietness, observed the deer and enjoyed the incredible color of the lake. Later we drove through the little village of Barrea taking the road up in the mountains to the Campo Imperatore.
Barrea lake, Abruzzo/Italy:
For further information:
Abruzzo Tourism
If you want to visit the Park take some information before
