Lake Barcis and swimming holes

Welcome to Lake Barcis!

August is the hottest month here in Italy, and the heat up north comes with a humidity that gives you a nice sticky coating to take with you. Aside from the chlorinated, highly packed swimming pool on base, the nearest place to cool off is Lake Barcis! (This sure beats a swimming pool, doesn't it?) After a short drive up into the mountains, you begin to catch glimpses of the river below, as it's glowing aquamarine color seems to jump out at you. Upon reaching the actual lake, you find that the entire lake is the same unreal looking blue color. The picture you see below is completely unedited, this is the actual color you see while standing at the lakeside. It's brilliant!

Many people, Americans and Italians alike, come to Lake Barcis to cool off and enjoy the activities it has to offer. As you can see, there are ducks to feed, swans and other wild life to observe, fish to catch, and numerous parks on the lakeside for children to play in. 

There is also a boardwalk that goes around a very good portion of the lake, and it makes for a nice afternoon stroll. 

Many people bring kayaks or paddle boards up for some on lake activity. However, motor boats are not permitted on the lake as it causes pollution and noise. (Which makes the lake perfect for other activities and a quieter getaway!)

A swimming dock. The lake is also surrounded by campsites. Some for tents, others large enough for trailers. It also has numerous barbeque spots, and during our strolls we have smelled many a good meal being grilled. 

More of our lakeside wander. Even in the heat of August, the lake side is still very green, and cool due to the shade of the ubiquitous trees. 

Crossing the bridge to the other side of the lake. Although the boardwalk ends there, many hiking tails begin, taking you around the opposite side of the lake. The two options for traveling the lake, the boardwalk or hiking trails, make the lake optimal for all levels of fitness abilities. 

The very best spots for swimming, are actually farther upstream or downstream. Upstream is very popular, the parking is cheaper (3€ a vehicle), but the water is much colder! We have frequently seen people with inner tubes start upstream and float their way down into the lake. There are also several little pools and even a few little falls that one can pull off to swim at.  

I believe this picture here is my favorite swimming hole though. This one is below Barcis, so the water is not as freezing cold, and the spot not as common. When we were there we were the only Americans! That made me feel like we had really found a legitimate Italian hangout spot. I stumbled across the location when I got lost while driving, and drove over that scary one lane bridge you see in the background. I observed the many people swimming at the spot below the bridge and wondered, "How do I get down there!?" for there was no possible entrance at the road I was on. I spent many trips searching, and finally found it on a trip I took with our visiting friends. Determined to find this spot, we drove down many incorrect roads and were shooed away and pointed in the correct direction by several Italians... The entrance road is actually way far away from the swimming hole, a town or so over and the turnoff unlabeled. The road eventually turned into a dirt road and at the end we found other cars parked along a stream. The walk from the (free!) parking lot to the swimming hole was under two minutes. Perhaps it was the desperate days long search that made this find all the better, or perhaps it was the water falls, the various levels of jumping rocks, the seclusion and exclusivity, or the free parking... Whichever it was, I'm so glad we found this spot our first year here so we can continue to enjoy it the next few years. 

Our guests Alexa and Tanner! They are traveling Europe and stayed with us for a week, so naturally we took every opportunity to show them around our local area. They also have a travel blog and mentioned us in their post here: lexntanner. Check it out!

It looks rocky from the picture here, but there's a nice stone path that goes around one side of the swimming hole and the path is easy on the bare feet and wide enough for sunbathers to lie on. 

Alexa found this tiny frog here. There were many nearby pools with little tadpoles too. 

Adam's first time at a swimming hole!

Back in the hometown my hubby and I grew up in, there were many fantastic swimming spots and rivers to cool off in, and that was definitely on our list of things we would miss. However, we can cross that off now that we have found Lake Barcis! Epic swimming hole? check!