Lake of Barrea

A place that, whoever passes through these parts, certainly cannot miss: at an altitude of almost 1,000 metres, Lake Barrea is the main body of water in the Abruzzo Park. Its approximately 300 hectares are surrounded by willows, open areas that were cultivated before the dam, and a mixed forest of turkey oaks and black pines. The waters provide an ideal environment for fish such as carp, tench, trout and perch, and are a stopover for migratory birds including grebes, teal and coots. Herons, mallards, moorhens and kingfishers also nest on these shores. The Barrea area also has rare wildlife species such as the deer, Marsican bear, Apennine wolf, lynx and otter.

The lake is, moreover, a wetland of international importance according to the criteria laid down in the Convention signed in Ramsar, Iran, in 1971: the agreement protects clearly identified and delimited wetlands, calls for their study, and encourages the implementation of programmes to conserve their habitats, flora and fauna. And this is what is done in Barrea.