Fabbriche di Careggine, the Ghost Village Buried under the Waters of the Lago di Vagli

Located in the province of Lucca, about 40 km northwest of Borgo a Mozzano, Fabbriche di Careggine “disappeared” beneath the waters of the Lago di Vagli between 1947 and 1953, when the hydroelectric dam was created. The village had been founded in the 13th century by a group of blacksmiths from Brescia, Lombardy, and became famous for the production of iron. In 1755, a mill was built in the village and the Duke of Modena granted the inhabitants certain privileges, such as tax exemptions and exemption from military service in order to promote local craftsmanship. Wonderful Via Vandelli – the historic road running across the Torrente Edron stream and connecting Modena with Massa – also dates back to that period and saw the passage of merchants, wayfarers and soldiers travelling through the Tuscan Apennines and the Apuan Alps. In the 19th century, there was a decline in the iron industry and the residents of Fabbriche di Careggine became farmers and shepherds; at the beginning of the 20th century, the Village economy recovered thanks to the exploitation of the marble quarries near Vagli and, for this reason, a small hydroelectric power plant was built on the Edron Stream. Later in 1941, the SELT-Valdarno electric power company (acquired by E.N.E.L. in 1963) decided to create a massive reservoir and dam and so it was that Fabbriche di Careggine was drowned in 1947 for hydroelectric production and its 146 inhabitants were moved to new homes in Vagli Sotto.

The Lago di Vagli was drained for maintenance work in 1958, 1974, 1983 and 1994; there are plenty of articles on the internet saying that the reservoir is emptied once every ten years, but that's actually not true.