“Ghost Village” Set to Appear Again When Lake Vagli Is Emptied in 2021

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Ghost village emerges from beneath Lake Vagli
The ghost village beneath Lake Vagli. Photo of LAGO DI VAGLI from Amitaly’s Facebook page.

When I saw a Mirror article about a sunken “ghost village” set to re-emerge again, I couldn’t help but think of the French series, The Returned (Les Revenants). It’s set in a small Alpine village where a bridge and a lake factor into the plot.

It makes for a haunting backdrop, because I want to say a ghost village appears in the lake in it too. (But it’s been a while since I’ve seen it, so I may be remembering wrong.)

At any rate, it’s a fabulous series, but short. Only two seasons. It needs a third, but since it’s been years since season 2 aired, I’m not holding my breath that we’ll get any answers to the many questions left unresolved.

I’m not sure if it’s still on Netflix, but maybe you also saw it when it was? If not, it’s worth hunting down. Here’s a trailer that may jog your memory.

The Medieval Village

Okay, now that I have The Returned out of my system, on to what this post is really about: the Italian village of Fabbriche di Careggine sumerged beneath Lake Vagli.

Blacksmiths founded the village in the 13th century. It was known for its production of iron. When a hydroelectric dam was built in 1947, residents relocated to Vagli di Sotto. Fabbriche di Careggine was then flooded and Lake Vagli was born.

Maintenance Time

Every once in a while –it’s only happened four times– the lake has to be drained in order to perform maintenance on the dam. That’s when the ghost village re-appears.

The last time the phenomenon happened was in 1994. But it looks like it will happen again in 2021, although work will begin in 2020.

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According to Patryn World News, the last time the village appeared more than one million people visited. Coronavirus might determine how many people visit this time.

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