Renovation works complete

The Villa Borghese lake, popularly known as the laghetto, was reopened by Rome's mayor Ignazio Marino on 24 April following renovation works over the last eight months.

It has been out of bounds since last September after water was discovered leaking into surrounding areas. It was subsequently drained and engineers carried out a €1.5 million project to restructure and seal its walls and removed a large amount of mud from its two-metre depths.

"For too many years the laghetto in Villa Borghese was in a state of deterioration and, as we discovered, faced a high risk of collapse," said city councillor for urban maintenance Paolo Masini.

Popular with boaters, the artificial lake has a 19th-century replica of a temple and is home to a variety of waterbirds and turtles. Its fish, which were removed when the lake was drained, will be returned soon.