Sauris lake
Il lake of sauris is located in the municipality of sauris, in the province of Udine (Friuli-Venezia Giulia), a few kilometers from the border with Veneto. It is located at 977m of altitude and can count on an extension of 1,57kmq.
The lake, also known as Lago della Maina due to the location where it is located, is an artificial lake born in 1948 after the construction of a dam on the Lumiei river was completed, started in 1941 in order to exploit the hydroelectric energy and directed by Eng. Carlo Semenza, who shortly after designed the infamous Vajont dam.
At that time the dam was the highest in Italy and the second highest in Europe, thanks to its height of 136 meters. Periodically (the last time in the winter of 2013) maintenance operations are carried out that cause the lake to be emptied, and this brings to light the remains of the town that was submerged, including the ancient building of the city hotel.
Lake Sauris and the town of the same name can be reached via the road that connects Tolmezzo to Ampezzo, the road is rather steep and steep and runs through the valley of the Lumiei stream, crossing bridges and bottlenecks and poorly lit artificial tunnels, up to the crowning of the dam that forms the lake. Lovers of on the road will find the road even more beautiful than the wonderful panorama that they will find once they reach their destination.
In summer, Lake Sauris is a very popular tourist destination due to the numerous activities that can be practiced, starting from fishing up to rowing or windsurfing. Walkers will be pleased to know that they can be found numerous trails, both the flat ones that surround the lake suitable for families both those that climb the high slopes of the area. There are also very interesting itineraries for mountain biking, which from the lake reach the Forcella Pieltinis, overcoming an altitude difference of about 900 meters. In any case, after a tiring walk it will be possible to refresh oneself in Sauris, a town famous for hams, speck and beer and for its beautiful churches of Sant'Osvaldo and San Lorenzo.
The area, with the exception of the tourists who flock to it in the summer months, is inhabited by an original German-speaking people, who have preserved their traditions both in the dialect and in the culture, but which at the same time has acquired a sense of belonging to the area and throughout Friuli.
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