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Sunken Italian village not seen since 1994 set to rise out of the depths

Italy, the village of Fabbriche di Careggine, at the foothills of the Apuan Alps (Tuscany), lays completely submerged by water as a dam was built next to it. But every decade, for maintenance reasons, the basin, now called Lake Vagli, must be drained and the village reappears like a ghost. (Photo by Romano Cagnoni/Getty Images)
The village of Fabbriche di Careggine, at the foothills of the Apuan Alps, lays completely submerged by water as a dam was built next to it. (Getty)

Italians and tourists are set to get a rare glimpse of a medieval village that lies at the bottom of a lake in Tuscany.

The village of Fabbriche di Careggine, that was founded in the 13th century by a colony of blacksmiths, resides under the waters of the artificial lake of Vagli.

It was submerged after a dam was created in 1947, causing the village to be frozen in time.

Lake Vagli, the ruins of Fabbriche di Careggine, a ghost town submerged beneath the waters of Lake Vagli which emerges every ten years when the lake is cleaned for maintenance work.
The ruins of Fabbriche di Careggine, a ghost town submerged beneath the waters of Lake Vagli which emerges when the lake is cleaned for maintenance work. (Getty)
Lake Vagli, the ruins of Fabbriche di Careggine, a ghost town submerged beneath the waters of Lake Vagli which emerges every ten years when the lake is cleaned for maintenance work.
Visitors look down on the ruins of Fabbriche di Careggine after it became visible during dam maintenance work. (Getty)

However, the church and several buildings are set to reappear as the dam is to be drained for maintenance works, marking the village’s first appearance since 1994.

Lorenza Giorgi, whose father Domenico Giorgi was the mayor in 1994, claims that the lake will be drained in 2021.

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She wrote on Facebook: "I inform you that from certain sources I know that next year, in 2021, Lake Vagli will be emptied.

"The last time it was emptied in 1994 when my father was mayor and thanks to his commitment and to the many initiatives that, with effort, had managed to put up in one summer the country of Vagli welcomed more than a million of people.

Italy, the village of Fabbriche di Careggine, at the foothills of the Apuan Alps (Tuscany), lays completely submerged by water as a dam was built next to it. But every decade, for maintenance reasons, the basin, now called Lake Vagli, must be drained and the village reappears like a ghost. (Photo by Romano Cagnoni/Getty Images)
The village of Fabbriche di Careggine lays completely submerged by water as a dam was built next to it. (Getty)

"In 1994 my father tells me that it was difficult to attract such a large number of people and that everything was done without burdens on the administration, besides those of ordinary representation of a small municipality."

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She added: "I hope that next year, strong of the past experience of which everyone has a beautiful memory and with the help of social networks, we will be able to repeat and overcome the great success, with just as much attention.”

The medieval village has been seen four times since the dam was created, with thousands of tourists flocking to the area in 1994 to catch a glimpse of it.

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