Hydroelectric power but not as you might know it. This circular walk affords close-up views of a modern take on a very old design.
A series of self-guided walks in the footsteps of angellightphoto
Walk highlights
A moderately easy walk in the Rosaro valley on good tracks and paths. I recommend spring, autumn or winter for the best views as there are fewer leaves on the trees. The forest margins are full of orchids from late winter until early summer. Look out for the abundant stag beetles and rhinoceros beetles in high summer.
Arlia Hydroelectric Power Station
The principal attraction of this walk is the fascinating engineering of the Arlia hydroelectric power station. Long before the advent of pumped storage hydro plants, like Glyn Rhonwy in Snowdonia, the architects of the Arlia project looked to the humble watermill. A typical watermill diverts water from a river along a conduit to a holding pond. A millrace carries the water to drive the waterwheel before flowing back into the river.
The Rosaro river basin, in the Comune of Fivizzano, isn’t suitable for a traditional reservoir behind a dam. So, an artificial reservoir was excavated on the hill opposite Arlia to act as a holding basin. At the foot of the hill, a beautiful turbine hall was constructed. A large-bore pipe descends steeply from the holding basin to drive the turbines. The clever bit is the 4km conduit that abstracts water from higher up the Rosaro valley to feed the reservoir.
In the early stages of the walk, you will cross over the main feeder pipe (penstock) where you can look down to the turbine hall and up to the reservoir sluices. The return route follows the covered conduit back to the reservoir. Look out for the inspection areas and equipment where water from side streams is added to the main canal. In places, this section of the walk is reminiscent of the Monsal Trail in Derbyshire.
