Lago di Livigno

Lago di Livigno or Lago del Gallo is a reservoir in the Livigno valley. The reservoir is mostly in Italy whereas the Punt dal Gall arch dam is crossed by the border with Switzerland (Zernez, Grisons).

The reservoir's surface area is 4.71 km².

The reservoir has a capacity of 164 million m³. Its minimum and maximum water levels above sea level are at 1,700 metres and 1,805 metres respectively. Since its construction, this reservoire had been off-limits for any activity, such as wind-surfing or rowing, until the summer of 2005, when Italy's National Rowing team was authorized to train on the lake.

External links

Media related to Lago di Livigno at Wikimedia Commons

Livigno

Livigno (Italian: Livigno, local Lombard: Livígn, German: Luwin) is a town and comune in the province of Sondrio, in the region of Lombardy, Italy, located in the Italian Alps, near the Swiss border.

History

Livigno's first settlers were probably shepherds during the Middle Ages. The first documents called this area "vinea et vineola". This Latin name does not refer to the presence of vineyards in the area, but comes from the German language, meaning "avalanche". The valley has always been at risk from this point of view. The last avalanche hitting the village was in 1951, which caused seven deaths and damage to a dozen houses.

Politically, Livigno has always followed Bormio's history, although the relationships between the two communes have always been tense, Bormio being dominant and more populous than Livigno. Until the 1970s Livigno was a farming village. In recent decades, however, things have changed, and nowadays Livigno enjoys a better economic situation and a higher number of inhabitants. Livigno has recently enjoyed one of Italy's highest birth rates (19.4 births per 1000 inhabitants). Livigno's economy is based on tourism, both in winter and in summer, and on its duty-free status, with goods sold at bargain prices.