That the Pordenone area is rich in water is a well-known fact, and its exploitation led to the creation of many workshops that indirectly resulted in a number of ponds and lakes to use the motive force of water. But that there be a small corner of paradise today thanks to this between Pordenone and Porcia is something maybe only a few people know.

In 1890, when the new Amman cotton mill buyers “caught” the waters of the Rio Burida (from the Friulian term “buride” meaning impetuous waters), they unwittingly gave this territory a precious gift. Because today it is possible to see the profile of Monte Cavallo so close to the water that they seem to be one and the same thing.

To complete the story, it has not always been so because after the closure of the cotton mill and with the war the Lake of Burida underwent years of degradation and abandonment. The Eighties, however, saw the birth of the “Save the Lake of Burida Association” and thanks to its members it is now possible to enjoy a water reservoir of about 12 hectares with the 8 metre weir still visible and an embankment on the right bank of the lake created to allow access to the park that is nowadays full of children’s games, benches and corners in which to relax with a glimpse of truly unique colours and poetry.

For those who want to find some cool during the summer heat, to photograph nature and its many animals, but also to enjoy paddling across the lake on a canoe, this can now be done thanks to the Libertas Gruppo Kayak Canoa A.S.D. which throughout the summer, every day, is available for unique outings just a stone’s throw from the centre of town. Not to mention that every June the lake hosts a sagra or festival and a characteristic torchlight procession.

Photographer: Alessandro Secondin