Lake 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 sits at an altitude of 977 meters and covers an area of 1,57 square kilometers.
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 the summer, Lake Sauris is a popular tourist destination thanks to the numerous activities available, from fishing to rowing and windsurfing . Hiking enthusiasts will be happy to know that there are numerous trails , both flat ones surrounding the lake suitable for families and those that climb the area's higher slopes. There are also very interesting mountain bike routes, which run from the lake to the Forcella Pieltinis pass, overcoming an elevation gain of approximately 900 meters. After a strenuous hike, you can refresh yourself in Sauris, a town famous for its prosciutto, 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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