Like its larger and more well-known neighbours, Lake Maggiore and Lake Como, Lake Orta (il lago d’Orta) in Northern Italy is remarkably deep, measuring almost 150 metres at its deepest point. Given this fact, and the documented existence of dragons on the lake’s central island (isola San Giulio) prior to the region’s conversion to Christianity in the 4th century, it seems reasonable to suppose that the deepest sections of this body of water may still be home to one or more aquatic monsters. Of course, it is possible that in the end these may turn out to be nothing more than surviving freshwater relatives of  the plesiosaurs or other giant marine reptiles that were prevalent during the Mesozoic Era. Until such time as an underwater expedition is able to properly validate these suppositions, however, it is fun to speculate as to what exactly may lie beneath Lake Orta’s incomparably beautiful surface.