The town of Molveno, beneath Brenta Dolomite peaks often shrouded in cloud, is the only settlement of any size on the shores of ‘the most beautiful lake in Italy’, the Lago di Molveno in Trentino-Alto Adige. The town is a popular summer destination for visitors attracted by the lake’s natural beauty, its clean alpine water and activities such as sailing, windsurfing, fishing, canoeing and mountain biking.
Lake Molveno, Trentino-Alto Adige, Italy: a small boat traverses the calm waters of ‘the most beautiful lake in Italy’, the Lago di Molveno, against a backdrop of the small town of Molveno, the lake’s only settlement of any size, lying beneath Brenta Dolomite peaks shrouded in cloud. Molveno’s population of around 1,100 is swollen in summer by numerous visitors attracted by the lake’s natural beauty, its beaches, its clean water and activities such as sailing, windsurfing, fishing, canoeing and mountain biking. The Lago di Molveno, described in 1890 by Italian poet and novelist Antonio Fogazzaro as “the precious pearl in an even more precious casket”, is fed by numerous alpine streams and rivers and 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 showed that the trees were first submerged about 3,000 years ago. The lake is about km ( miles) long and km (.9 miles) wide. It lies in a natural basin within the Adamello Brenta Nature Park between 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 calm days without the Ora del Garda, the prevalent wind from March to October. For several years, the Lago di Molveno has been 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 its clean water, its beaches and the quality of its leisure facilities.
Size: 4256px × 2832px
Location: Lake Molveno, Trentino-Alto Adige, Italy
Photo credit: © Terence Kerr / Alamy / Afripics
License: Royalty Free
Model Released: No
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