Lake della Ninfa
| Lago della Ninfa | |
|---|---|
.jpg) Ninfa Lake in autumn | |
| Location | Sestola, Province of Modena, Emilia-Romagna, Italy |
| Coordinates | 44°12′39″N 10°43′30″E / 44.21083°N 10.72500°E |
| Type | Artificial lake, originally formed by a landslide |
| Basin countries | Italy |
| Surface area | 0.1536 km2 (0.0593 sq mi) |
| Surface elevation | 1,500 m (4,900 ft) |
| Settlements | Sestola |
Lago della Ninfa is a lake that originated from a large landslide,[1] now artificially maintained, located at 1,500 m (4,900 ft) altitude at the foot of Monte Cimone, in the municipality of Sestola, Province of Modena, Emilia-Romagna, Italy.
Once called Lago dei Budaloni, it took its current name from the refuge built on site in 1928, which referred to an ancient legend according to which a beautiful and wicked nymph lived in the lake, attracting hunters, shepherds, and travelers to drown them in the whirlpools she created in the waters.[2]
The lake is now maintained artificially: to make it more attractive for tourism, the marsh vegetation at the bottom was removed, along with the thin natural silty-clay layer that waterproofed the bottom. This intervention caused the lake to drain. To remedy this, the bottom was asphalted, and the lake is artificially fed through a fountain to maintain a constant level.[3]
It is surrounded by beech forests and coniferous woods, but in the past, the surrounding slopes were bare (as shown in some vintage postcards), with only a few ancient beech trees standing out, most of which were cut down during World War II by the Germans who needed wood during the occupation of Sestola. A surviving beech tree can still be admired near one of the adjacent refuges.[4]
Ski resort
[edit]Near the lake, there is an equipped ski resort belonging to the Cimone ski area. It consists of:[5]
- a medium-difficulty alpine ski slope about 900 m (3,000 ft) long with a chairlift for ascent,
- a cross-country skiing track,
- a slope for children and beginners equipped with a moving walkway,
- a snow park for snowboarding,
- a paid baby park with inflatable games and a conveyor belt serving a small training field for children and a slope for descending with small rubber dinghies.
Notes
[edit]- ^ "I Geositi dell'Emilia-Romagna — Geologia, sismica e suoli — E-R Ambiente — Lago della Ninfa" [Geosites of Emilia-Romagna — Geology, seismicity, and soils — E-R Environment — Lago della Ninfa]. geo.regione.emilia-romagna.it (in Italian). Retrieved 2023-10-14.
- ^ Tiziano Bedostri. "Sul lago di Ninfa a cavallo della natura" [On Ninfa Lake astride nature]. Cavallo 2000 (in Italian). Retrieved 2023-04-07.
- ^ "I Geositi dell'Emilia-Romagna — Geologia, sismica e suoli — E-R Ambiente — Lago della Ninfa" [Geosites of Emilia-Romagna — Geology, seismicity, and soils — E-R Environment — Lago della Ninfa]. geo.regione.emilia-romagna.it (in Italian). Retrieved 2023-04-06.
- ^ Eugenio Soliani (2022-04-23). "Il Lago della Ninfa" [The Ninfa Lake]. In Appennino Modenese (in Italian). Retrieved 2023-04-07.
- ^ "Cimone Sci - Piste ed impianti" [Cimone Sci - Slopes and lifts]. cimonesci.it (in Italian). Retrieved 2023-10-14.