Fabbriche di Careggine, human settlement in Careggine, Province of Lucca, Tuscany, Italy
Fabbriche di Careggine is a village in Tuscany that now lies buried beneath the waters of Lago di Vagli. It consisted of stone houses, a church dedicated to San Teodoro, a cemetery, and a stone bridge that once connected the settlement across the Edron river.
The village was founded in the 13th century by iron craftsmen and grew as a center for iron processing. In 1947 it was completely submerged when the Vagli dam was built to create a hydroelectric reservoir.
The name Fabbriche refers to the iron workshops that operated here starting in the 13th century. Blacksmiths from Brescia settled in this valley near the Edron river to extract and work with iron ore.
The village is only visible when the dam is emptied, which happens infrequently. Wear sturdy shoes and bring water when exploring, as the exposed ground can be uneven and paths require careful walking.
The village vanishes and reappears when the dam is emptied. Since being submerged in 1947, this has happened only four times, with the most recent occurrence in 1994.
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