Barma Lake

Barma Lake
Lac de Barme
A body of water surrounded by mountainous terrain.
Interactive map of Barma Lake
LocationItaly
Coordinates45°38′34″N 7°55′48″E / 45.64291°N 7.93008°E / 45.64291; 7.93008
TypeGlacial
Stream from Lac de la Cuaz, stream from the upper Barma Lake
Stream to Lac Long
Basin countriesItaly
Surface elevation
2,020 m (6,630 ft)
IslandsNone
SettlementsFontainemore
References

The Barma Lake (in French Lac de Barme) is a natural lake of glacial origin located at an altitude of 2,020 m a.s.l. in the Lys Valley, in Aosta Valley.

Toponym

The term barma (or balma, French: balme) indicates a rock shelter in Valdôtain patois.

Characteristics

The lake with the refuge under construction (year 2017) and in the background Mont Mars

The lake is located in the municipality of Fontainemore, at the center of a basin dominated to the south by Mont Mars. Just north of the main body of water is a smaller body of water, called Upper Barma Lake, at an altitude of 2,032 m. Near the lake, there is also an alpine pasture and—at 2,060 m altitude—the Barma Hut [it], a recently built stone structure owned by the municipality of Fontainemore.

Access

The shores of the lake

The lake can be reached by a marked trail starting from Fontainemore and passing near the lower Vargno Lake [it]. The Barma basin is also connected via the Barma Pass [it] to the Sanctuary of Oropa. Every five years, the Fontainemore to Oropa Procession [it] passes by the lake.

Nature conservation

The Barma Lake and the surrounding area are part of the Mont Mars Nature Reserve [it].

Notes

  1. 1 2 3 "Barme" (in Italian). ARPA Valle d'Aosta / ARPE Vallée d'Aoste (Regional Agency for Environmental Protection). Archived from the original on 2020-02-19. Retrieved 18 February 2020.
  2. 1 2 AA.VV. (1976). "18 Il Biellese". Piemonte (non compresa Torino) [Piedmont (excluding Turin)] (in Italian). Touring Club Italiano. p. 500. ISBN 978-88-365-0001-7. Retrieved 18 February 2020.
  3. ↑ "Colle della Barma e lago della Barma" [Barma Pass and Barma Lake] (in Italian). Biellaclub. Retrieved 18 February 2020.
  4. 1 2 "Réserve naturelle du Mont Mars" [Mont Mars Nature Reserve] (in French). Région autonome Vallée d'Aoste. Retrieved 30 May 2025.
  5. ↑ Assessorat de l'éducation et de la culture. "balma" (in French). Bureau régional de l'ethnologie et de la linguistique (BREL). Retrieved 18 February 2020.
  6. 1 2 "Navigatore Cartografico / Géonavigateur SCT (3.14.0)" [SCT Cartographic Navigator (3.14.0)]. geonavsct.partout.it (in Italian and French). Regione Autonoma Valle d'Aosta / Région autonome Vallée d'Aoste. Archived from the original on 16 May 2019. Retrieved 19 October 2018.
  7. ↑ "The refuge". Barma Hut. Retrieved 30 May 2025.

Bibliography