The village was born of a disaster. Not far off stood Mirandella, a castle of the abbey of San Salvatore Maggiore, and between 1406 and 1450 an earthquake destroyed it: those who survived moved up here and founded Varco. The two dates come from the documents, because in 1406 Mirandella still existed and in 1450 Varco already did. The remains of the destroyed village still lie within the municipal territory. The name, though, is older: it appears as Varcum in 1252, and says exactly where the place is, on the watershed between the Salto valley and the Turano.
Down below lies Lake Salto, man-made, and part of it falls within the comune. Its waters have a quality that makes them suited to one particular sport: for twenty years the final of the Italian wakeboard championship was held here, and in 2022 so were the world championships. That is no common thing for a village of a few hundred people. As for boundaries, in 1968 Varco Sabino received from the neighbouring comune of Ascrea the hamlet of Rigatti.
Straight-line distances from the town centre. Tap a point to open its page.
Near Varco Sabino
The closest destinations covered by our editors, with straight-line distance.
Places to see within 25 km
Outside Varco Sabino, but an easy day trip away.