M Swim Challenge - Piverone

Turn buoys anchored off Anzasco trace a distinctive zig-zagging course across the water: an 800-metre sprint laid out precisely in the shape of the letter M. This is the M Swim Challenge, an open water swimming event held on Lake Viverone at Piverone, in the Piedmont region of northwestern Italy. Swimmers assemble along the north-western shore of the lake, where the shoreline opens into clear water framed by the rolling morainic hills of the Serra d'Ivrea. The event is organized by Nuotatori Canavesani ASD and brings together sprint swimmers for a focused lake dash. Taking place on a Saturday in June, the event gathers athletes for an afternoon start through the turn markers.

The course tests sharp turns and quick changes of angle across its M-shaped layout, offering a dedicated single-distance challenge open to swimmers from nine years of age and up. Wetsuit rules follow the water temperature closely: neoprene is required if the lake drops below 18 °C (64 °F), remains optional between 18 °C (64 °F) and 24.5 °C (76 °F), and is strictly prohibited if the water exceeds 24.5 °C (76 °F).

Lake Viverone: glacial depths of the Serra d'Ivrea

Lake Viverone spreads across an area of approximately six square kilometres and reaches a maximum depth of 50 metres. The water is naturally clear and warms to pleasant summer averages between 22 and 25 °C (72-77 °F), creating comfortable and stable swimming conditions. Gliding through the course, you pull through calm lake water that remains sheltered from major ocean swells, with gentle ripples reflecting the surroundings. Beneath the surface, the calm waters provide an expansive habitat for diverse freshwater fish species. Whitefish, perch, tench, pike, and catfish swim through the basin. Across the lake surface, native water birds include mallards, grebes, coots, ducks, and passing gulls. Sighting birds skimming low over the glassy water adds to the serene character of an open lake competition.

The submerged Bronze Age pile-dwelling village of Viverone

Just below the surface on the northern shore of Lake Viverone, about one kilometre from the race area, rests an exceptional archaeological wonder: a Bronze Age pile-dwelling site submerged at depths of only two to three metres. Dating back to between 1650 and 1350 BC, this ancient village was once a thriving prehistoric community built on stilts above the shallows. Underwater excavations brought to light roughly 5,000 wooden piles driven into the lake bed, which once elevated prehistoric huts over the basin. The submerged settlement followed an orderly circular layout measuring roughly 70 metres across, organized around two central walkways. Wooden palisades encircled the stilt dwellings. At Lago di Bertignano, a body of water formed by the advance and retreat of the ancient Balteo glacier, archaeologists discovered the remains of a Late Bronze Age stilt village known as Cava di Purcarel. Between the 1950s and 1970s, Lago di Bertignano served as a water storage reservoir for the Viverone hydroelectric power plant, and its waters remain home to carp, pike, tench, and catfish.

The glacial lakes and historical waterways of the Canavese

The landscape of the Ivrea morainic amphitheatre contains a notable cluster of protected glacial lakes, known as the Five Lakes of Ivrea. Among these is Lake Sirio, a glacial lake set between Ivrea and Chiaverano that was previously named Lake San Giuseppe after a nearby convent. Lake Pistono is a glacial water body fed by the Rio Montesino stream, which sits in the shadow of Mount Crovero and the commanding Montalto Dora Castle. Lake Pistono shares the deep archaeological heritage of the area, as remains of a Neolithic lakeside settlement were unearthed along its shore in 2003. An archaeological park showcasing reconstructed Neolithic structures opened on the lakeshore in 2017, complementing the protected status of the lake as a Site of Community Importance and Special Area of Conservation.

Nearby Lago San Michele, located at an altitude of 238 metres above sea level with a surface area of 0.07 square kilometres, was likewise carved by the retreat of the Balteo glacier and forms part of the Laghi di Ivrea Special Area of Conservation alongside Lake Nero. Rounding out this morainic lake system is Lake Campagna, a glacial basin resting at 238 metres above sea level with a water surface area of 0.109 square kilometres and a catchment basin of 4.1 square kilometres. Also designated as a Site of Community Importance and Special Area of Conservation, Lake Campagna features a continuous trail looping around its entire shoreline. Roughly 13 kilometres away, the historic Naviglio di Ivrea originates from the Dora Baltea river canyon in Ivrea.

Commissioned as a navigable canal in 1468 by Jolanda di Savoia, the waterway cuts through the Mazzè gorge marking the terminal rim of the morainic amphitheatre, crosses the Cavour canal at the Naia hydraulic junction at an elevation of 168 metres, and flows down to empty into the Sesia river at 120 metres. Ivrea also hosts the Ivrea Whitewater Stadium, an artificial whitewater course carved into a modified riverbed of the Dora Baltea, where canal slope adjustments in 2005 modernized the rapid drop of the facility.

The shoreline at Anzasco and the northern waterfront

At Anzasco, a pleasant green lakeshore space is equipped with a docking pier for boats. This shoreline forms part of the lively northern section of Lake Viverone, which hosts a variety of lidos, lakeside beaches, campgrounds, and hotels. After powering through the buoy turns, competitors can step out of the lake, rest on the grass along the pier, and watch other waves of swimmers take on the open course. Just south of the busy beaches of Anzasco, the shoreline transitions into the quiet Bancassa district of Piverone. This southern area remains a wild and wildlife-rich sanctuary where natural lake banks and thick vegetation thrive without interruption.