Cradled by the mountains of Central Italy, there’s a medieval village that has been submerged underwater since the 1940s. And finally, next year, it will resurface again for the first time since 1994.

The small village named Fabbriche di Careggine was founded back in the 13th century. Located in the province of Lucca in Tuscany, the village used to be inhabited by iron workers. However, Fabbriche di Careggine became a ghost village in 1947 when a dam was built on the local Edron river and the village was flooded by the artificially made Lake Vagli.

This medieval village in Tuscany has been underwater since 1947

Image credits: Robyfra1

After the dam was built and the village was flooded by the lake, all its residents had to leave to nearby towns. The artificial Lake Vagli has been emptied four times since its creation — in 1958, 1974, 1983, and 1994. Since 26 years have passed since the last time it was emptied, the medieval village might resurface again in 2021.

The streets of the village are usually submerged under 34 million cubic meters of water

Image credits: Billen Bart

According to Lonely Planet, Enel, the company owning the dam, revealed in a statement that there are plans of emptying the lake once again, most likely in 2021. As it turns out, there was a plan to empty Lake Vagli back in 2016, but apparently, it did not go through.

But every once in a while, the lake is emptied and the medieval village resurfaces

Image credits: Viaggio Routard

The last time Fabbriche di Careggine resurfaced, 26 years ago, a great number of tourists flocked to this small lake to take a peek at this usually submerged historical gem. After the medieval village resurfaces again, it is hoped that it will attract tourists again.

It is hoped that tourists will be able to visit the ghost village in 2021, after Lake Vagli is emptied again

Image credits: Dario Lorenzetti

While discussions about emptying Lake Vagli are going on, no official dates for it have been set yet. However, those who are interested can keep an eye out for updates on the official Facebook page of the nearby town Vagli di Sotto.

Image credits: Marco DeLarge Bonuccelli

Image credits: Focus Junior

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