Lago di Cancano II, Italian mountain lake
Lago di Cancano II is a reservoir in the Italian Alps, located at high altitude in the Valdidentro valley in the province of Sondrio. It sits on a wide rocky plateau alongside a second reservoir, Lago di Cancano I, together forming a twin water system fed by Alpine streams.
The reservoir was built in the first half of the 20th century as part of a large hydroelectric project in the Valtellina area. The dam changed the high valley landscape permanently and helped supply electricity to the surrounding region for decades.
The area is easiest to reach in summer, when the road to the plateau is clear of snow and the walking paths are open. A road leads to a parking area close to the lakes, from where both reservoirs can be explored on foot.
The two Cancano reservoirs sit so close together on the plateau that you can walk from one shore to the other in just a few minutes. The flat terrain between them was once grazing land before the water projects of the 20th century changed the valley.
The community of curious travelers
AroundUs brings together thousands of curated places, local tips, and hidden gems, enriched daily by 60,000 contributors worldwide.
