The submerged bell tower of Curon Venosta

Curon Venosta is an Italian town of 2,380 inhabitants in the province of Bolzano, in Trentino Alto Adige. It borders with Austria and Switzerland, and in its territory is the Resia Lake from where the bell tower emerges, which is the main attraction of this village. The church was built in 1357 and the bell tower is the only part that remains. It can be reached on foot when Lake Resia freezes in winter. A legend has it that from time to time, at night, the church bells are heard, even if they were removed in 1950. The history of the village of Curon Venosta is not at all fortunate: the village and its houses were destroyed in 1939 , when the state authorized the construction of a dam exploiting the energy of the three lakes of the Resia Pass, and deciding to join the two lakes further north of the valley. It was precisely this that caused the submergence of the center of Curon Venosta, which certainly did not have an easy future. Many aids were requested from the State to ensure that that reality could be brought to light, but this happened thanks to the work of its own inhabitants, who with love and devotion managed to recreate a town. Today the town is renowned thanks to the bell tower, due to its history and its sometimes macabre aspect, and is recognized as a cultural asset.