The abandoned underwater village of Fabbriche di Careggine will be brought back to the surface next year. Submerged in Lake Vagli in Vagli Sotto, located in the province of Lucca, the ‘mini Pompeii’ has not resurfaced since 1994, the last time the lake was drained.
A group of blacksmiths from Brescia founded the village in the thirteenth century. Since 1947, however, the village has been submerged in what are now Enel waters, and the lake has been emptied a total of four times. Two decades have passed since the last draining, largely due to disputes with Enel and local administrative concerns that Vagli might not be prepared for a major spike in tourist numbers. (Visits to the site totaled almost one million back in 1994).
Vagli mayor Mario Puglia’s pursuit of the project is in line with his 2014 campaign objectives. He has stated that the attention the village will attract could create job opportunities and stimulate the economy.
