Sorgente di Fiumelatte

Fiumelatte is a short, intermittent stream in the territory of Varenna on Lake Como. Its approximately 250-metre course links a hillside spring to the lake, with foaming water that gives it a milk-white appearance.

Why it matters

The stream combines an unusual natural phenomenon with a long history of scientific curiosity. Its short course and seasonal emergence have prompted attempts to understand the underground system feeding the spring.

What to notice

During strong flow, aerated water rushes down the wooded channel towards the lake. The contrast between this force and the stream's limited length is striking. In dry periods the exposed bed reveals a different aspect of the same landscape. Flow is generally associated with the period from around late March to October, rather than a fixed annual timetable.

Context and history

Leonardo da Vinci mentioned the stream as the Fiumelaccio in the Codex Atlanticus. One explanation for its intermittent behaviour proposes that it acts as an overflow from a large underground basin beneath Moncodeno, on the Grigna Settentrionale. This remains a hypothesis, not an established description of the complete subterranean course.