An uninterrupted stream of visitors, on foot or by bicycle, pours down the narrow stone and sand path that has appeared between the shores of Lake Garda and the islet of San Biagio, which has become the symbol of the drought hitting Italy north this winter.
A jewel nestled in the southwest of Lake Garda, the island dotted with cypress trees and desert shores, which was only reachable by boat in the past, attracts entire families who have come to see the damage caused by climate change.
“It’s a very beautiful sight, but sad at the same time, because it’s due to the drought. We hope it will be short-lived,” Alberto Pampuri, a 62-year-old pensioner who came by bike from Brescia, told about forty km from the lake, with his wife and two friends.
This unusual phenomenon is reminiscent of the floating footbridges erected in 2016 by the artist Christo on Lake Iseo. “But they were artificial pontoons, whereas this is a natural work of art!” enthuses Agata Carteri, a 48-year-old teacher.
Lack of snow on the peaks of the surrounding mountains, no rain for six weeks, mild temperatures: this explosive cocktail has lowered the water of Italy’s largest lake to its lowest level for 30 years during the winter period.
The lake’s water is 44 cm above chart datum, its historical reference point, compared to 107 cm last year, and is thus 60 to 70 cm below the average of the last decades.
After a record drought in the summer of 2022, which decimated the harvests, northern Italy is once again showing worrying signs. The waters of the Po, the largest Italian river, are at their lowest, like Lake Garda, but also Lakes Maggiore and Como.
Five years ago, Matteo Fiori crossed the bay of Manerba del Garda on foot to reach the island of San Biagio, lifting his backpack above his head to shelter it from the waves.
“The water came up to my chest, it was an adventure,” says this 45-year-old social worker, who came to admire the phenomenon of this isthmus emerging from the waters with his wife and three children.
The influx of tourists, unexpected for a month of February, is a boon for the small town of Manerba del Garda: “the island has become a popular attraction out of season which makes our lake better known”, comments to AFP its mayor, Flaviano Mattiotti.
“If the lake level does not rise in the spring, we are ready to dredge the ports to facilitate access for tourist boats, which would be a first,” he says.
Nearly 28 million tourists visited Lake Garda last year, of which around 40% are German-speaking, coming from Germany, Austria or Switzerland.
“It’s like walking on water,” marvels Afra Vorhauser, from Alto Adige, a German-speaking Italian region on the borders of Austria, after walking the thin strip of land. “As soon as I saw a report on the island in the German television news, I decided to come”.
On this uninhabited islet, also known as “Isle of Rabbits”, families picnic on the grass, under a beautiful winter sun, or walk on the arid beaches. The children climb on the rocks and make stones ricochet on the water.
This winter there is “a new tourist movement due to the curiosity to discover certain areas of the lake which are usually under water”, explains Paolo Artelio, president of VisitGarda, the promotion agency for Lake Garda.
Among these attractions are also the Caves of Catullus, remains of a Roman villa at the tip of the Sirmione peninsula, part of which has surfaced.
However, “for tourists, nothing changes, because the lake is still 136 meters deep on average, they can surf, sail or swim at will”, reassures Pierlucio Ceresa, secretary general of the Comunità organization. del Garda, in charge of water quality.
He considers it “premature to cry disaster”. According to him, “all it takes is the end of February with snow and a rainy month of March for the situation to return to normal”.
23/02/2023 07:34:56 – Manerba del Garda (Italy) (AFP) – © 2023 AFP