The lake of the myth of Persephone, surrounded by a racetrack
A few kilometres south of Enna, Lake Pergusa is the only natural lake in Sicily, a small basin without inflowing rivers, fed by rain and groundwater. According to Greek myth, it was on its flowery shores that Hades, god of the underworld, emerged from a chasm and carried off Persephone, daughter of Demeter, while she was gathering flowers: the origin of the seasons.
Today the lake is a nature reserve and an important stop for migratory birds. Its waters sometimes turn red because of particular bacteria, a phenomenon linked in popular imagination to the blood of the myth. Curiously, the lake is surrounded by the Autodromo di Pergusa, a motor racing circuit built in the 1950s that has hosted Formula 1 races outside the championship and Formula 3000.
Tip: the circuit's ring road becomes a pleasant route for walking and cycling around the lake when there are no races; in autumn the colours of the reeds are beautiful.
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