Lago dell'Antenna, body of water

Lago dell'Antenna is a small reservoir in northern Italy created by damming a stream, surrounded by hills and forests. The water's calm surface reflects the sky and nearby trees, with simple facilities for walks and picnics along the shore.

The dam was built in 1922 to supply the hydroelectric plant of the Cotonificio Ligure in San Pietro d'Orba. In the mid-1940s the reservoir proved too small, so it was enlarged and completed in 1946 with a capacity of about 50,000 m³. The masonry arch-gravity dam was inspected in February 1952. Sedimentation has since reduced the real capacity to roughly 30,000 m³.

The lake is named after Monte Antenna (821 m), the mountain that overlooks its left bank, not after any antenna tower. Its waters are a category B mixed-population fishery and a tourist fishing reserve where rainbow trout are stocked periodically with authorisation from the Beigua Park; brown trout stocking is not permitted because the species is not considered native.

The area is easy to explore on foot with paths surrounding the water suitable for walkers of all levels. Visitors should wear sturdy shoes and be aware that the ground can become slippery after rain.

The reservoir is a stocked tourist fishing reserve: rainbow trout are released periodically with authorisation from the Beigua Park, while brown trout restocking is barred because the species is not proven native here. Waters are classified category B (mixed population) and undergo an annual fauna survey.