Antrona Lake
About
| Name | Description |
|---|---|
| Address | Frazione Antrona Piana |
In the period of the Spanish domination, the Ossola had to face several misfortunes and a general deterioration of the way of life together with disasters like floods, droughts, landslides. During that period, the Troncone stream flowed at the bottom of the valley within two asymmetrical banks.
The left bank was very broad and was covered with meadows and fields, while the right bank was covered with woods. A sunny tract of the left bank stretched for about 2 Km from Antronapiana and sloped down slighly toward the pastures now at the bottom of the lake.
These pastures were linked by the ancient route that reached the Antrona pass and the Saas valley. All this bank was called Egro, from Latin "agrum" (= tilled land).
(Of this toponym nowadays there is a trace in the name Cimaliegra). On July 27th 1642 a huge landslide carne off the slopes of the Pozzuoli mountain and crashed down on the underlying plateu, colliding with some of the houses of the hamlets of Grognasca and Case, burying 95 inhabitants with no chance of escape, caught in their sleep or uncapable of running away from such a violence.
The consequent barrage of the valley blocked the passage of the course of the Troncone that, upstream of the huge mass of earth, widened and formed a lake, now called the Antrona lake.
The Antrona dwellers after the first moments of dismay, pulled together with no help from others and tenaciously tried and survived in such an unlucky village.
But some, reduced to poverty by the crisis followed to the great ruin, emigrated to other districts. (Data of the landslide: about 20 million cubic metre on the area of about 375.000 square metre).
From 1926 the lake is used as a reservoir for the downstream hydroelectric power plant at Rovesca.
The left bank was very broad and was covered with meadows and fields, while the right bank was covered with woods. A sunny tract of the left bank stretched for about 2 Km from Antronapiana and sloped down slighly toward the pastures now at the bottom of the lake.
These pastures were linked by the ancient route that reached the Antrona pass and the Saas valley. All this bank was called Egro, from Latin "agrum" (= tilled land).
(Of this toponym nowadays there is a trace in the name Cimaliegra). On July 27th 1642 a huge landslide carne off the slopes of the Pozzuoli mountain and crashed down on the underlying plateu, colliding with some of the houses of the hamlets of Grognasca and Case, burying 95 inhabitants with no chance of escape, caught in their sleep or uncapable of running away from such a violence.
The consequent barrage of the valley blocked the passage of the course of the Troncone that, upstream of the huge mass of earth, widened and formed a lake, now called the Antrona lake.
The Antrona dwellers after the first moments of dismay, pulled together with no help from others and tenaciously tried and survived in such an unlucky village.
But some, reduced to poverty by the crisis followed to the great ruin, emigrated to other districts. (Data of the landslide: about 20 million cubic metre on the area of about 375.000 square metre).
From 1926 the lake is used as a reservoir for the downstream hydroelectric power plant at Rovesca.
Tratto da:
"La Strada Antronesca - Scheda n°8" Anno 2001
C.A.I. Sezione di Villadossola /
Comunità Montana Valle Antrona