Lago Scanzano, Reservoir in the Metropolitan City of Palermo, Sicily, Italy

Lago Scanzano is a reservoir in the Metropolitan City of Palermo, Sicily, situated in a green valley below the Ficuzza forest. The body of water spans around 3.7 square kilometers and is fed by the Scanzano stream, with pine-covered slopes and farmland surrounding its shoreline.

The reservoir was created in 1962 by damming the Scanzano stream to store water for nearby farms and communities. This construction reshaped the landscape and established a new feature in the region that became important to local life.

The reservoir takes its name from the Scanzano stream, a tributary of the Eleuterio that was dammed in 1962. The lake lies in the territory of Piana degli Albanesi, with a small part in Monreale, and can be seen from the Ficuzza forest above it. Its banks are lined with pines, daisies, nettles, roses and red tulips.

The reservoir is skirted by the SS 18 Corleone road between Marineo and Gograno, and the water is also visible from the Ficuzza forest above the valley. The surrounding area has no facilities, so bring your own food and water. Winter can bring heavy snow at times, and clear, windless nights produce strong temperature inversions.

The Scanzano space centre beside the lake is run by Telespazio, the satellite-services company founded in 1961 by Italcable and STET. It handles satellite links for telecommunications from this valley below the Ficuzza forest, at about 500 metres above sea level.