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It is only five times a year that the highest waterfall in Italy is turned on.
Located in a lush Italian valley, the three drops of the Cascate del Serio may be seen a handful of times each year when the waters are released from the reservoir at its summit. The Serio falls flowed freely as the second highest falls in Europe and the highest in Italy up until 1931 when the Barbellino Dam was built. The dam stopped the flow of the Serio to create the artificial Lago di Barbellino under the jurisdiction of the National Electric Energy Corporation. After outrage from the local people on the Barbellino Plateau who were upset that the waterfall’s natural power and beauty had been stifled, a compromise was reached in 1969 which saw five days every July marked as an "extra release day." Over time, extra release days were added to schedule and in total, The Cascate del Serio can now be seen for five days each year.
