Lago di Malciaussia is a

reservoir A reservoir (; from French ''réservoir'' ) is an enlarged lake behind a dam. Such a dam may be either artificial, built to store fresh water or it may be a natural formation. Reservoirs can be created in a number of ways, including contro ...

situated at an elevation of 1,805 metres in the upper Valle di Viù in the north-west

Italian Italian(s) may refer to: * Anything of, from, or related to the people of Italy over the centuries ** Italians, an ethnic group or simply a citizen of the Italian Republic or Italian Kingdom ** Italian language, a Romance language *** Regional Ita ...

province of Turin.

History

The reservoir was constructed in the 1920s and 1930s by damming the

Stura di Viù Stura was a department of the French Consulate and of the First French Empire in present-day Italy. It was named after the river Stura di Demonte. It was formed in 1802, when the Subalpine Republic (formerly the mainland portion of the Kingdo ...

, a tributary of the Stura di Lanzo, for the generation of

hydropower Hydropower (from el, ὕδωρ, "water"), also known as water power, is the use of falling or fast-running water to produce electricity or to power machines. This is achieved by converting the gravitational potential or kinetic energy of a w ...

. It is named after the locality Malciaussia—a ''

frazione A ''frazione'' (plural: ) is a type of subdivision of a ''comune'' (municipality) in Italy, often a small village or hamlet outside the main town. Most ''frazioni'' were created during the Fascist era (1922–1943) as a way to consolidate territ ...

'' of the

commune A commune is an alternative term for an intentional community. Commune or comună or comune or other derivations may also refer to: Administrative-territorial entities * Commune (administrative division), a municipality or township ** Communes of ...

Usseglio Usseglio ( pms, Ussèj, frp, Usèi, french: Ussel) is a ''comune'' (municipality) in the Metropolitan City of Turin in the Italian region Piedmont, located about northwest of Turin, on the border with France. It borders with the following munici ...

—which was submerged when it was filled.

Hiking

The valley road terminates at this lake which makes it a convenient starting point for walking and climbing in the high

Alps The Alps () ; german: Alpen ; it, Alpi ; rm, Alps ; sl, Alpe . are the highest and most extensive mountain range system that lies entirely in Europe, stretching approximately across seven Alpine countries (from west to east): France, Swi ...

. From here one can ascend

Rocciamelone Rocciamelone ( pms, Ròcia-mlon, french: Rochemelon or ''Roche Melon'') is a 3,538 m high mountain in Piedmont, Italy, near the border between Italy and France. Geography Rocciamelone is located between Val di Susa and Maurienne, 50&nbs ...

(3,538 m), via the

alpine hut A mountain hut is a building located high in the mountains, generally accessible only by foot, intended to provide food and shelter to mountaineers, climbers and hikers. Mountain huts are usually operated by an Alpine Club or some organization ...

“Ernesto Tazzetti”. The routes to Monte Lera, Punta Costan and Punta Sulè start as well from the lake.

References

Sources

This article originated as a translation o
this version
of its counterpart in the

Italian Wikipedia The Italian Wikipedia ( it, Wikipedia in italiano) is the Italian-language edition of Wikipedia. This edition was created on May 11, 2001 and first edited on June 11, 2001. As of , , it has articles and more than registered accounts. It is t ...

. Reservoirs in Italy Lakes of Piedmont Lago di Malciaussia {{Piedmont-geo-stub