As well as providing access to the Fraele Alpine Pass along the ancient Via Imperiale d’Alemagna, the Valle di Fraele served as a key strategic point for controlling the territory, as evidenced by the remains of the towers of the same name; iron mining also took place here until the 20th century.
In the area of S. Giacomo, where the second lake now lies, there used to be a small settlement intended to house shepherds, woodcutters and farmers during the milder months; not far away stood the small church of S. Giacomo di Fraele, with its hospitalis designed to accommodate wayfarers.
Since the 1940s and 1950s, all these structures have been periodically submerged by the waters of Lake San Giacomo, which was created following the construction of the dam to harness the waters of the Adda for hydroelectric power generation.
Since 2023, taking advantage of periods when the lake level drops, the stone structures have begun to re-emerge, drawing attention back to the small submerged settlement and triggering a process of discovery and restoration, initiated and coordinated by the Stelvio National Park, the then Superintendency of Archaeology, Fine Arts and Landscape, and with the support of the Forestry Corps of the Valdidentro Park Carabinieri Unit.
The Church of St Giacomo in Fraele
First mentioned in records dating back to 1287, it stood on the ancient ‘Via Lunga di Venosta’ (the so-called ‘Salt and Wine Road’). A single-nave church, long and narrow with only two windows on the south side, it featured a loggia above the entrance, from which the heads of families attended services, and a bell tower accessed from the nave and open towards the valley (built after 1609).
The apse, with a pentagonal plan, was certainly frescoed according to 18th-century accounts, but no further information regarding the period or nature of the decoration is currently available from the documents. Since the 19th century, the frescoes had been covered with a whitewash, a layer of white plaster, except behind the altar, which was so close to the wall that it prevented it from being plastered.
Following the removal of the whitewash due to water damage, the painted decoration has come to light, revealing, along the base of the apse wall, a decoration simulating a marble cladding. The upper part of the vault was certainly decorated with figures, as fragments depicting angels and saints were found amongst the debris.
Restoration work and the creation of the Fraele Valley Museum
In 2023, work began on the restoration of the wall paintings in the ancient church of San Giacomo di Fraele, of which only the outer walls remain on site, standing to a maximum height of 160 cm.
The deterioration of the paintings, caused by water damage, was at an advanced stage and continuing to worsen; consequently, in November 2023 and between July and November 2024, the frescoes were removed to prevent the total loss of the decorations.
Since June 2025, they have been undergoing a complex restoration process and, once completed, will be mounted on support panels so that the pictorial decoration can be reconstructed as it was at the time of its rediscovery.
The frescoes will be displayed to the public in a dedicated space, following the restoration of a building situated a short distance from the church, where the Museo della Valle di Fraele will be established – a place of remembrance and storytelling about the valley’s history.
