The lake formed after a collapse
of a vulcan of the Cimini Mountains: 12 km of perimeter, 50
m of depth and 500 m height. In former times it occupied the
whole crater basin with in its midst the Mount Venere as an
island. Its surface and its depth diminished, when an underground
tunnel had been build in order to make it flow down into the
Vicano river, leaving uncovered plenty of land, now partly
swampy (Palude delle Pantanacce) and partly cultivated with
hazelnuts. The environment, one of the most beautiful in Italy
, is still mostly intact. The lake is part of the natural
reserve which bears its name: Riserva Naturale Lago di Vico.
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