The Bilancino lake, located north of Florence in the area of Barberino di Mugello, is surrounded by greenery, on hills scattered with villas and it is a very pleasant spot where to spend a summer day.
Conceived as an artificial reservoir to be employed for the safety of the city of Florence, it is the result of a very long development process. In fact, as early as the end of the Fifties, to avoid the risk of the Arno river overflowing and to meet the water demand of the Tuscan capital, the idea of building a dam on the Sieve river, in the Bilancino area , took form.
The project actually began only in 1978 and the works in 1984.
The original project has seen a tourism development, adding equpped areas, a fishing area and one for water sports. From a reservoir it became a real lake, with all its bathing features.
Currenty the lake covers an area of about five square kilometres and is thirty-one metres deep.
It is open to the public and for bathing, it has an equipped beach, the Bahia beach club, with windsurfing facilities and a restaurant.
A road, also accessible by bike, runs all around the lake.
