4 - THE LAKE

Montalbera lake is a natural basin that is fed by an underground spring. It also collects the rainwater falling on the surrounding hills. At the beginning of the twentieth century the notary Borgo di Torino (then owner of the land) commissioned works to rearrange and widen the banks and embankments. The water from the lake was used to irrigate the fields (the main crops were corn, barley, wheat) and to water the cattle raised in the stables on the estate. It was also exploited for carp fishing, initially for nutritional purposes and later only for pastime as sport fishing. Starting in the 1980s, the company began converting its land to the cultivation of vines and hazelnuts, and therefore the lake lost its function as an irrigation basin. Still today, however, we can admire it as a splendid landscape element that enhances and enriches the panorama of the hills surrounding Montalbera.