The Laghetto di Lingua (Little Lake of Lingua) is certainly one of the most evocative places on Salina. The Romans built a salt extraction plant here between the 1st and 2nd centuries AD. The name of the island was taken from this. However, unlike the Salt Mines of Trapani or those of Marsala, those of Lingua are no longer visible. They have been completely submerged by the waters of the lake.
The Laghetto di Lingua
The Lingua lake is located at the south-eastern end of Salina. In Roman times, there was a production plant here for salt extraction. The remains of the tanks were still visible at the end of the 19th century. The evidence can be found in a drawing by the French traveller Jean-Pierre Houël, who visited the Aeolian Islands around 1770. Today, the waters of the lake have totally submerged the Roman production plant. On some days, when the water is perfectly clear, the visible remains of a lime and gravel floor and part of the opus reticulatum partition walls can be seen. The Laghetto di Lingua, which has a surface area of one and a half hectares and a maximum depth of about 3 metres, is also an important wetland for many migratory birds. If you are a keen birdwatcher, you can see stonechats, common chiffchaffs and pipits, as well as egrets, night herons and black-winged stilts. On particularly lucky days, the lake is also visited by beautiful pink flamingos.
The Sea and Salt Museum in Punta Lingua
On the narrow stretch of land separating Laghetto di Lingua from the sea is a lighthouse built in 1953 and now housing a Sea and Salt Museum. Inside, there are three different rooms. The first is dedicated to the Lingua lake and the history of the salt mine. The second tells the story of the lighthouse through original documents owned by the various lighthouse keepers who lived in the building until 1973. Various types of signalling are also on display in this room. The last room is used for temporary exhibitions.
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