Between April 25 and 29, 1859, this blue area in Italy was flooded to stop the Austrian invasion of Piemonte, in the first days of Italy’s Second War of Independence. The flooding was planned and executed by engineer Carlo Noè, which is ironic since “Noè” is the Italian version of “Noah”.
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[Reference](https://fondazionecavour.it/archivio-storico/persone/noe-carlo/).
English translation:
“Carlo Noè (1812-1873) was born in Bozzole Monferrato in the province of Alessandria. Appointed chief engineer inspector of the Cigliano Technical Office in 1841 by King Carlo Alberto, he was engaged in drafting a project to widen the Cigliano canal and later carried out, on behalf of the Ministry of Finance, leveling and studies to implement the idea of the land surveyor Francesco Rossi to derive a canal from the Po. The idea of using the waters of the Vercelli area canals to block the advance of the Austrians towards Turin during the second war of independence is owed to his inventiveness. In fact, between 25 and 29 April 1859 it caused the flooding of the area between the Dora Baltea and the Sesia, blocking the Ivrea, Cigliano and Rotto canals. He received numerous honors including the cross of Knight, then of Officer and later of Commander of the order of Saints Maurice and Lazarus; he was a Knight of the order of Charles III, in Spain, for his irrigation design activity in that country and a corresponding honorary member of the Georgofili Academy in Florence.”