Draft:Lakes of Revine Lago

Santa Maria Lake
Location	Veneto, Italy
Primary outflows	Canale delle Barche
Max. length	1.05
Max. width	0.2-0.5
Surface area	0.4
Average depth	4.3
Settlements	Revine Lago, Tarzo

Lago Lake
Location	Veneto, Italy
Primary inflows	Canale delle Barche, Piaveson stream
Primary outflows	La Tajada (Soligo)
Max. length	1.20
Max. width	0.3-0.5
Surface area	0.5
Average depth	7.2
Settlements	Revine Lago, Tarzo

This page is about the lakes in the province of Treviso. For other lakes in Italy, see List of lakes of Italy.

The Revine Lago Lakes are two bodies of water in the Province of Treviso. They are located at the bottom of the Vallata Trevigiana [it], divided between the municipalities of Revine Lago and Tarzo.

Specifically, these are the Santa Maria Lake, to the east, and the Lago Lake (or San Giorgio Lake), to the west. The basins are separated by a marshy area of 200-300 meters and are connected by the Canale delle Barche.

Several hamlets surround them: on Santa Maria Lake, Santa Maria, Revine Lago [it] to the north and Colmaggiore [it] to the south; on Lago Lake, Lago, Revine Lago [it] to the north and Fratta, Tarzo [it] to the south.

Santa Maria Lake

Santa Maria Lake is the less substantial of the coordinated elements forming a functional unit, both due to its smaller size compared to Lago Lake and because of the reduced water turnover, which in recent times relied solely on underground springs. These are visible in colder seasons when water pools are identifiable on the frozen lake where the water does not freeze. In recent years, the areas where water veins emerged seem to have become obstructed, likely due to sediment from small streams forming during rainy periods and the disappearance of the sedimentation zone.

Lago Lake

Lago Lake is in a more favorable condition due to the support of the Piaveson stream, fed by a particular temporary karst spring that supplies abundant water, allowing greater oxygenation through water turnover. Currently, from a hydrological perspective, Santa Maria Lake drains into Lago Lake, which, through the Tajada, contributes at Follina to the formation, along with the Santa Scolastica spring, of the Soligo river. Its artificial outflow is the Tajada, a channel that regulates the lakes’ water levels during flood periods and is notable for its flora and fauna typical of wet and marshy environments.

History

After the Würm glaciation, a single body of water formed at the valley’s bottom (originally occupying the entire area up to Gai, Cison di Valmarino [it] in Cison di Valmarino) and remained so until the 13th-14th century. In the first half of the 15th century, the westernmost portion was drained and reclaimed, an operation linked to the excavation of the Tajada, which serves as the outflow for Lago Lake, channeling its waters to the Soligo. This led to the formation of two basins: Lago Lake to the east and Soller Lake to the west. Subsequent interventions (the last in the 20th century) drained Soller Lake as well, and part of Lago Lake was separated, forming Santa Maria Lake.

Lost train

The Revine Lago Lakes were sites of conflict during the First and Second World Wars. In the First World War, after the Battle of Caporetto, Revine Lago was invaded by Austrian soldiers between November 1917 and the summer of 1918, marking the end of the war. Violent clashes with the enemy occurred in neighboring towns, including Revine Lago, culminating on October 30, 1918, with the Battle of Revine [it] at Col de la Spina. During the 1918 occupation, a double-wire cableway was built from the Serravalle castle to Con (a hamlet of Serravalle), then to Masieron (on the border of Serravalle), to the Bridòt hamlet, and finally to Lame in Revine, where a small station was located. From there, a narrow-gauge railway supplied the military airport in Tovena [it].

It is said that during the retreat, the Germans or Italians sank the train in the lake, where, according to some accounts, it remains buried under accumulated sediment and mud. Some rumors also mention a treasure sunk with the train, leading the municipalities of Tarzo and Revine Lago in 2009 to request funding to verify the claim. Unfortunately, the funding was not approved, and nothing came of it, as had happened years earlier with divers from the Sile. Oral testimonies recount that the train ran on rails placed on a wooden platform fixed to floating barges. Evidence of this railway persists. When it was dismantled, some rails were taken to Vittorio Veneto, and locals repurposed others, for example, using a rail as a cellar beam. Some railway sections are reportedly still visible; during dry seasons when lake levels are low, near the wooden bridge in the Fratta hamlet at the Tajada’s start, old rails leading toward Cison di Valmarino can allegedly be seen.

Colmaggiore site

The Colmaggiore site is currently the most significant prehistoric wetland settlement in Eastern Veneto [it].

The first evidence of a prehistoric settlement dates to 1923, when a Sauerbrunn-type bronze sword from the mid-Bronze Age (15th century BC) was found during the excavation of the channel now connecting the two lakes. Later, near the lakes, a short Sauerbrunn sword (15th century BC) and a Peschiera-type dagger (13th century BC) were discovered.

In 1987, further excavations in the same area uncovered the first remains of residential structures. The Veneto Archaeological Superintendency was alerted, conducting initial surveys in 1989, followed by excavations in 1992 and 1997. Based on the data, the remains were attributed to a prehistoric wetland settlement, first established in the Neolithic (circa 4500 BC) and later occupied during the Copper Age until the early Bronze Age (2300 BC); Sauerbrunn-type artifacts indicate presence in the Middle and Late Bronze Age.

The collected artifacts belonged to various material classes, contributing to the site’s relative dating and understanding of the daily life of its inhabitants.

Among the most significant finds are remains of vertical pilings, charred wooden fragments, wooden planks, and stone foundations, interpreted as foundations of stilt houses and evidence of shore reclamation. Everyday objects include chipped flint tools, polished greenstone artifacts, and terracotta remains (bowls, jars, pots, handles, incised decorations, strainers) used for storing, cooking, and consuming food. The discovery of spindle whorls and a loom weight indicates that the inhabitants practiced weaving.

Animal bones and paleobotanical remains, representing meal remnants, provide insights into the village’s diet and subsistence strategies, as well as the surrounding environment, likely similar to today’s. The diet was probably based on agriculture, with cereal cultivation (indirectly evidenced by flint sickle blades and millstone fragments) and the rearing of cattle, pigs, sheep, and goats. Hunting, gathering wild food, and fishing were also significant resources.

The Livelet Educational Archaeological Park was designed and built to highlight the discovery of the nearby Colmaggiore site.

Fish fauna

The lakes host various fish species, thanks to the good water quality. These include the Italian roach (Scardinius hesperidicus), tench (Tinca tinca), Italian chub (Squalius squalus), carp (Cyprinus carpio), bleak (Alburnus arborella), European perch (Perca fluviatilis), pumpkinseed (Lepomis gibbosus), largemouth bass (Micropterus salmoides), Italian pike (Esox cisalpinus), eel (Anguilla anguilla), black bullhead (Ameiurus melas), and wels catfish (Silurus glanis), the latter illegally introduced in 2019, likely by a fisherman attracted by its large size and value in sport fishing. Its population is controlled by a mandatory non-release policy upon capture.

External links

• "I Laghi" [The Lakes] (in Italian). Comune di Revine Lago. Archived from the original on 2011-04-24. Retrieved 2011-03-13.

This page will be placed in the following categories if it is moved to the article namespace.

Categories:

• Province of Treviso
• Lakes of the Alps
• Veneto
• Lakes of Italy