Under the Water: History, Voices, and Consequences of Hydroelectric Reservoirs in the Mediterranean.The Cases of Lake Turano and the Tranco Reservoir.
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.17561/blo.vextra8.9800Keywords:
Hydroelectric reservoirs, Mediterranean landscape, Territorial transformation, Social-Cultural impact, Collective memory, Oral history.Abstract
Hydroelectric reservoirs profoundly reshaped the Mediterranean landscape over the course of the twentieth century. They brought remarkable technical progress, yet also left deep social, economic, and cultural scars in the regions they transformed. This work explores the historical and political forces that drove the construction of large hydraulic infrastructures, focusing on two telling examples: Lake Turano in Italy and the Tranco Reservoir in Spain.
Drawing on the voices of people from Colle di Tora and other villages in the valley—whose stories I personally gathered between 2020 and 2023 during fieldwork for my regional studies—and on accounts from Bujaraiza found in existing research, this study delves into the human consequences of these sweeping changes. Photographs and data accompany the narrative, helping to show how, beneath the calm surfaces of these artificial lakes, lie powerful tales of loss and collective memory.
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