Colle del Nivolet e laghi del Nivolet (Lago Serrù)

The Nivolet plateau, above the reservoirs of Serrù and Agnel, is a high Alpine landscape of lakes, peat bogs and broad meadows beneath the Graian Alps.

Why it matters

The Colle del Nivolet lies on the watershed between the Orco valley and Valsavarenche. Here the natural landscape of lakes and wetlands meets the hydroelectric infrastructure of the Serrù and Agnel reservoirs, making the area a meeting point of geology, engineering and conservation.

What to notice

The reservoirs below contrast with the shallow natural lakes and peat bogs across the plateau. Mountain streams, open grassland and rounded summits shape the high landscape, with views across the Graian Alps and toward peaks of the Gran Paradiso region.

Context and history

The road from Ceresole Reale was built in 1931 to serve the Serrù and Agnel dams. A proposed extension over the pass into Valsavarenche was not completed. The area was part of the Savoy royal hunting reserve established in 1856; its landscape and former hunting routes later became part of Gran Paradiso National Park.