About
This body of water is so clean that it powers a hydroelectric power station in addition to feeding the Lao river.
The Sorgente del Mercure, the birthplace of the Lao river, is about a kilometer and a half from the historic center of Viggianello. The wellspring has a flow of 2000 liters per second and a temperature of a cool nine degrees Celsius (48 degrees Fahrenheit). Thanks to a settling tank built in the 1920s, the crystal clear water basin flows to a hydroelectric power plant through a covered tunnel. There are few fountains where visitors can take fresh water.
