Penne lake was created by damming the river Tavo, which runs below the town.
You can reach the lake either on foot (about 20 minutes downhill from the house) or by car - the road runs across the dam, so you can drive a complete circuit of the park.
The lake borders are a national park and bird sanctuary, with a wide range of aquatic species. Initially set up by local WWF volunteers, the bird reserve is now
managed by a co-operative funded by Penne council and the World Wildlife Fund.
The symbol of the park 
is the night heron (niticore) - which nests in Penne through the summer but spends the winter in Africa - but there are another 88
migratory species which pass through, as well as the 30 or so permanently
resident species.
The Natural History Museum in the centre of the park includes viewing points to watch the birds and a glass-sided otter playground (the otters are completely wild and not always in..).
The museum tickets also give access to the Cathedral and Archaeology museums in the centre of Penne.
Signposted trails lead from the Museum along the river bank and round the hills. The animals are harder to come across than the birds, but include foxes, badger, weasels, stoats, boar, and very occasionally wild cats and wolves passing through from elsewhere.
The walk back to Penne meanders gently between the hills with a sudden sharp climb at the end. In spring the fluff from the poplar trees can carpet the ground so it looks like snow.