White Brenta Dolomite cliffs tower over the deep green waters of Lake Molveno in the Trentino-Alto Adige region of Italy, which was described in 1890 by poet and novelist Antonio Fogazzaro as “the precious pearl in an even more precious casket”. More recently, and for six years running, it has won the title of the most beautiful lake in Italy. The Lago di Molveno is up to 124 m (406 ft) deep, with a petrified forest on the lake bed that scientists have proved was first submerged some 3,000 years ago.
Lake Molveno, Trentino-Alto Adige, Italy: white Brenta Dolomite cliffs rise high above the deep green water filling a bay of the Lago di Molveno, which was described by Italian poet and novelist Antonio Fogazzaro in 1890 as “the precious pearl in an even more precious casket”. The alpine lake, about km ( miles) long and km (.9 m) wide, lies in a natural basin within the Adamello Brenta Nature Park between rugged peaks of the Brenta Group to the west such as Campanile Basso and Cima Tosa, and the summits of the Paganella and Monte Gazza massif to the south east. Both mountain chains are reflected in its surface on days without the Ora del Garda, the prevalent wind from March to October. Molveno is up to 124 m (406 ft) deep, with an average depth of 47 m (154 ft). In 1952, when it was drained for power plant construction work, a petrified forest was discovered on the lake bed. Radiocarbon dating by Pisa University established that the trees were first submerged about 3,000 years ago, in the early Iron Age. In 2019, for the sixth year running, the Lago di Molveno was chosen by the Touring Club Italiano and the environmental association Legambiente as the most beautiful lake in Italy. The award was based not only on its natural beauty and surroundings, but on the cleanliness of its water, its beaches and the quality of leisure facilities around its shores, including those in the main lakeside settlement, the small town of Molveno.
Size: 2832px × 4256px
Location: Lake Molveno, Trentino-Alto Adige, Italy
Photo credit: © Terence Kerr / Alamy / Afripics
License: Royalty Free
Model Released: No
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