Lake Albano

Lake Albano Lago Albano
Castel Gandolfo and the lake. The ridge of the Castel is the site of Alba Longa.
Location	Alban Hills
Coordinates	41°45′0″N 12°39′54″E
Lake type	crater lake
Basin countries	Italy
Surface area	6 km2 (2.3 sq mi)
Max. depth	170 m (560 ft)

Lake Albano (Italian: Lago Albano or Lago di Castel Gandolfo) is a small volcanic crater lake in the Alban Hills of Lazio, at the foot of Monte Cavo, 20 kilometres (12 mi) southeast of Rome. Overlooking it is Castel Gandolfo, where the Pope has a villa.

It was known to the Roman Empire as Albanus Lacus. In its vicinity stood Alba Longa.

The lake is the deepest, about 170 m (560 ft), in Lazio. It is about 3.5 km (2.2 mi) long by 2.3 km (1.4 mi) wide, formed by the overlapping union of two volcanic craters, an origin indicated by the ridge in its center, which rises to a depth of 70 m (230 ft). Plutarch reports that in 406 BC the lake surged over the surrounding hills, despite there being no rain nor tributaries into the lake to explain it (Life of Camillus). The ensuing flood destroyed fields and vineyards, eventually pouring into the sea.

It hosted the canoeing and rowing events of the 1960 Summer Olympic Games that were held at Rome. The lane marking system developed for these events is commonly referred to as the Albano buoy system.

Image gallery

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  Painting by Sylvester Shchedrin, before 1825

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  Lake Albano, George Inness, 1869

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  Panoramic view

References

• 1960 Summer Olympics official report. Volume 1. pp. 82-3.

Bibliography

• Britannica.com (retrieved: 12 March 2009)
• Italian Tourism - Lakes (retrieved: 12 March 2009)
• The Columbia Encyclopedia, Sixth Edition | Date: 2008 | The Columbia Encyclopedia, Sixth Edition, Columbia University Press (retrieved: 12 March 2009)