Hike and chill in Lake Resia (Lago di Resia) , The Sunken Town

Lake Resia is an artificial alpine lake with a capacity of 120 million cubic meters. It is the largest lake in South Tyrol. Lake Resia is considered the mecca of the snowkiters. Here the conditions are ideal: The largely frozen surface of the lake. And also, the ideal wind: skis and snowboards glide across the lake at the speed of light-driven by kites. Resia is renowned among skiers for the Belpiano ski resort. Together with the easily accessible ski resort of Nauders, it is part of the Passo Resia Ski Center.

For winter sports lovers, but also simple spectators, there is plenty to do at Lake Resia and the nearby Lake Haider. The international Snowkite Worldcup takes place on Lake Resia every winter. Thanks to the wind and a large amount of snow, kite skiing on skis or snowboard is a matter of great speed. The world speed record for snowkiting is currently 111.2 km per hour.

Going by tourists the beautiful walks and the shores of Lake Resia today, you could hardly imagine what the story behind it is.

There are few witnesses to the flooding of Lake Resia in 1950, who still live in Resia today. At one time in Resia and Curon, there were two natural lakes, the original Lake Resia and Lake Mitter. A large dam was then created to supply electricity to Northern Italy, via a hydroelectric power station. Today, the dam reaches 6 kilometers in length and up to 1 kilometer wide. The accumulated water drives the Sluderno power plant through a 12-kilometer-long pipeline. Both natural lakes were submerged by the flood. The same happened to the village of Curon with its famous bell tower and a large part of the village of Resia. Today the bell tower of the ex-parish church of Santa Caterina in Curon is protected by the fine arts and is considered the distinctive attraction of Lake Resia.