In Italy, there are 4,503 hydroelectric plants, according to Gestore Servizi Energetici (GSE), a state company that promotes sustainable development by means of renewable energy and energy efficiency. Most of these plants, however, are more than 70 years old. That means some of them are virtual works of art.

One such example is situated near Lake Antrona, a mirror of water of emerald colour in the eastern Apennine Mountains in the Piedmont region. It houses four Pelton turbines with an horizontal axis – clean, polished and functioning perfectly for nearly a century. It is called the Rovesca Hydroelectric Plant, built by Webuild in 1926 on the plans of Milanese architect Luigi Bisi for the rubber tire industrialist, Giovanni Battista Pirelli.

The plant still preserves the Lombard Renaissance style with its two colour tones, imposing arched windows, arcades, and geometric and naturalistic designs applied to the interiors. The original decorative murals still resist the test of time, along with the huge lamps in wrought iron, the control room with its woodwork décor, and high ceilings.

The lake’s waters course through 2 kilometres of tunnels and a conduit of 866 metres before passing through the turbines located 291 metres, providing the force necessary to generate electricity for the 60,000 residents of the vast Val d’Ossola.