Lake Piediluco

Lake Piediluco

Lake Piediluco, located in the south-eastern foothills of Umbria, with a branch bordering into the Lazio Region, is Umbria's second-largest natural lake after Lake Trasimeno.

The name is thought to mean “at the foot of the sacred wood”. Together with the lakes Lungo, di Ripasottile and di Ventina located in the province of Rieti, it represents one of the remnants of the Lacus Velinus, a big basin of alluvial origin that was formed from the Quaternary period. 
The lake has an irregular shape and a perimeter of about 13 kilometres, is located at an altitude of 375 metres above sea level, and has a maximum depth of 19 metres. Its natural tributary is the Rio Fuscello, with another two tributaries that are artificial channels, one connecting it to the River Velino and the other one conveying to the lake a portion of water derived from the River Nera. The River Velino flows out of hte lake and is diverted towards the town of Marmore where it forms Marmore Waterfall.
 

The lake's incredible beauty was represented by many artists as a stop of the Grand Tour, so called in 1670 by the priest and writer Richard Lassels, author of An Italian Voyage. Its scenery is famously captured in the oil paintings made in 1826 by the French painter Jean-Baptiste Camille Corot. The lake abounds in fish: according to a 2010 study, there are 15 the fish species populating the lake and 8 of them are non-native.
The lack of currents and the presence of relatively regular winds make the lake an excellent surface for national and international regattas of canoeing and boat racing.

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Main attractions in the vicinity