I was making my way through the mountainous northern region of Italy. I have an almost three hour drive ahead of me and I thought that I should go to avoid me having to drive in the dark in an unfamiliar location. I have been looking at the mountains ever since I left Venice and it was finally my chance to see them up close. These mountains are part of the Italian Alps and it is my first time to visit them. I have been to the Austrian side of the Alps and I was so impressed that I thought to visit the Italian side the next time. The roads can be narrow especially if they are winding but otherwise they are okay. I don’t want to be driving fast especially if I am not familiar with the roads. This is most especially true here since there can be surface ice because of snowfall.

I stopped at a gas station to get some food and ate at the parking lot. Otherwise, I was driving most of the way. I was marveling at the majestic mountains while trying to keep my eyes on the road. I had no intention of stopping and I was planning to drive the whole three hours straight, that is until I entered the town of Santa Caterina. The town is a small mountainside town along the highway. What made me stop here is the presence of a lake, or more accurately a dam. The water from the mountains was dammed up to form this reservoir. What is impressive is the that color of water is a nice turquoise blue as it is common with mountain water. There are minerals dissolved in the water which give it is distinctive color. I can’t help but stop here. I found a parking area nearby and started taking photos.

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