When the Lago di Vagli reservoir was built in the Tuscan province of Lucca in 1947, the town of Fabbriche di Careginne was flooded and has had a fantastic existence at the bottom of the reservoir ever since.
Around every ten years, a small sensation occurs at the Lago di Vagli reservoir in the province of Lucca: when the water is drained from the reservoir for maintenance work, the ruins of the medieval village of Fabbriche di Careginne emerge from the floods. In 1947 the reservoir, which had been planned under the fascists, was built. The place had to give way to the construction project and the residents were relocated to the nearby Vagli Sotto.
Fabbriche di Careginne was founded in the 14th century by ironworkers who had moved from Brescia to Tuscany. During his 600 years History the place had never lost its medieval appearance. Although Fabbriche di Careginne is now off the map, it maintains a ghostly sub-surface existence, earning it the nickname "Atlantis of Tuscany".
Visit the "Atlantis of Tuscany".
When the water is drained from the reservoir at irregular intervals, most recently in 1974, 1983 and 1994, the ghost town of Fabbriche di Careginne reappears. Make the most of the rare opportunity to visit Fabbriche di Careginne while you are in the area. The atmosphere of the stone ruined city, alienated by mud, is unique and unreal. You can now visit the remains of the medieval houses and the Romanesque church Chiesa di San Teodoro from 1590 with its dome and its campanile. It is also possible to enter the cemetery and a bridge that rests on three arches and once crossed the small river that ran here.
In 2008 the decided Province of Lucca the construction of a 200 meter long suspension bridge that leads over Lake Vagli at a height of four meters. Since it opened in 2011, you can enjoy the view of the ghost town looming beneath the surface of the water from above. At the same time, the surrounding infrastructure – streets, restaurants, hotels, a viewing platform and parking spaces – was also expanded to offer visitors better conditions for a “city trip”.
Last updated: 29.02.2024
