Pictures of Italy: Lac Cornu

Lac Cornu, located in the Parco Naturale del Mont Avic, is a serene spot for walking (and fishing) in northwestern Italy…

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Right on the border between France and Italy, at the centre of the Graian Alps, is a nature park with spectacular vistas. The whole area encompasses lakes, peat bogs and a rolling pine forest which covers over 1,000 hectares ? the largest forest in the Italian Alps. Here, you can see the smooth surface of Lac Cornu, the name (rather than the Italian lago) giving away the close proximity to southern France. This Alpine lake is one of 30 stretches of water, among them the largest natural basin in the Valle d?Aosta region, Gran Lac. All of them are home to an abundance of wildlife and points of natural beauty. Indeed, the Parco Naturale del Mont Avic is part of the larger Gran Paradiso national park, which was created in order to protect the Alpine ibex. In the early 19th century, the population of the Alpine ibex had dropped to just 60 due to over-hunting. Not only was it a fashionable sport at the time, but body parts were believed to have therapeutic properties and were made into protective talismans. Luckily enough, the fishing population is under no such threat.