What lurks beneath

“The important thing is that I believe in myself…”

Nessie

It seems that every scenic lake with a more than decent tourist industry needs its own monster. The OG is of course Loch Ness, but any region hoping to offer the full visitor experience tries hard to foster the enticing myth of something lurking below the surface. This is Lake Como at the edge of the Italian Alps. It has pretty villages, mountainous scenery, excellent local food and wine, resident celebrities and a large body of deep mysterious water. It also has the Lariosauras, aka the Lake Como Monster. The Lariosauras is a giant aquatic marine reptile that was in its prime around 235 million years ago. Fossil evidence for the monster emerged along the shore of the lake, near the town of Lecco in 1830. In this regard it is doing better than Nessie. Lake Como is up to 410 metres deep with a labyrinth of underwater caves along the bottom. Locals remain convinced the the creature still inhabits the lake, occasionally appearing on surface, especially if it encourages the tourists. #nessiesfirstcousin #letsmakelemonade