About
Located in an extraordinary nature reserve, this turquoise lake showcases a rare natural phenomenon.
Posta Fibreno is a karstic lake in the foothills of Italy’s Lazio region, and though it may seem more like an engrossed river, it is a small, serene lake home to a very unusual natural phenomenon known since Roman times. Described by Pliny the Elder in his 1st-century Naturalis Historia, the lake is the setting for the subtle dances and movements of a natural floating island. The island, known as La Rota for its round shape, was formed over the years by free-floating roots. At about 13 feet thick and 130 feet wide, the mass is not rooted to the ground below water level, and thus wind and currents cause it to move freely around the surface of the lake. Small trees and shrubs cover the land, and when breeze blows or volume of water released by underwater springs varies, island appears to be somehow floating around on its own. This is phenomenon so rare that Posta Fibreno is one of only places on Earth to see it occur.
