Lago di Pergusa
Five kilometres south of Enna, in a shallow bowl of the Erean Mountains, sits a lake that sometimes turns red. The colour comes from sulphur bacteria — Thiocapsa roseopersicina — that bloom when the water drops and concentrates, giving the surface a rust-pink cast that reads as strange and genuinely beautiful in the right light.
Lago di Pergusa sits at 670 metres, covers less than two square kilometres, and has no rivers feeding or draining it. What water exists arrives as rain or seeps up from the ground, carrying dissolved salts that make it brackish. A racing circuit rings the entire shoreline — the Autodromo di Pergusa, built in 1951 — so the lake and the track are inseparable here.
💛 What travellers fall for
People who come back tend to time it for the shoulder months, when the water level is higher and the birds are moving through. The reed beds on the eastern edge are worth the walk — porcupines have been spotted in the scrub at dusk, and the European pond turtles are reliable in the shallower margins. Check the racing calendar before you go: on event days the lakeshore itself is off-limits.
The story behind Lago di Pergusa
The lake's basin is a tectonic depression, formed during the Pleistocene, making it one of the oldest natural features in inland Sicily. North of the water, at a site called Cozzo Matrice, a Siculan-Greek settlement from the 7th–6th centuries BC left behind rock-cut tombs and the remains of a temple to Demeter — the goddess whose myth of loss and return was mapped onto this very landscape in antiquity.
In the 1930s the surrounding Selva Pergusina forest was planted with conifers arranged to spell out 'DUX' — a tribute to Mussolini, who also ordered the construction of the nearby village between 1936 and 1937. The Autodromo followed in 1951, and through the 1960s the circuit hosted Formula 1's Mediterranean Grand Prix. In 1995 the lake and its surroundings became Sicily's first Special Nature Reserve.
Good to know
Free entry. Bus 5 from Via Pergusa in Enna costs €1.20; tickets from the Coppola travel agency beside the stop. Allow around three hours. Avoid July and August if you want water — the lake often dries out in peak summer — and check the Autodromo schedule, as shore access is restricted during race events.
Spring and autumn are the most rewarding seasons: water levels are higher, temperatures sit between 14°C and 22°C, and migratory birds are passing through. Summer brings intense heat — August averages 32°C — and the lake can shrink to almost nothing in July and August, which are also the driest months. October is the wettest month, with 66 mm of rain, but the light and the wildlife make it worth it.
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What travellers say about Lago di Pergusa
Wonderful bird viewing! Totally amazing
Nice tranquil place for a walk, cycling, jogging around the lake while admiring nature 🇮🇹
The lake is completely surrounded by a Race track...good views but you can't actually get to it
One of the most beautiful places I've truly loved!
This is the only natural lake in Sicily. They should really remove the racetrack for a multitude of reasons. The lake is historical and mythological, it should be considered a heritage site. The track isn't in use and it totally destroys any of the beauty that should exist in the area. The track also shouldn't be used anyway because the lake is a nature reserve! I went here feeling very excited to see this landmark and left angry and upset at the state of the lake and its surroundings.
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