Sauris Dam

Sauris Dam is an arch dam in Udine Province that holds back water to form a large reservoir at roughly 1,200 meters elevation in the Friuli-Venezia Giulia region. The curved concrete structure spans the valley and stores water for the surrounding area.

Construction took place between 1941 and 1948 and brought nearly 300 New Zealand prisoners of war to the site during World War II due to local labor shortages. This major wartime project transformed the mountain valley and left a permanent mark on the region.

The dam creation forced fifteen families from La Maina hamlet to relocate, marking a significant change in the local community structure.

Access follows forest roads and offers views of the reservoir and surrounding mountains from different angles. Clear days are best for seeing the full extent of the valley and understanding the scale of the structure.

In 1992 the entire reservoir was drained for maintenance, exposing the original valley floor and showing how the landscape looked before flooding. This rare occurrence allowed local people and younger generations to see the buried terrain and trace the former villages that now lay underwater.