The ninth point of the Malcantone Mining Park Trail is the Astano pond.

The Astano pond has a surface area of about 5,800 m2 and is located at 600 m.a.s.l. It is fed by several springs at the bottom and by the Lisôra brook, and is owned by the municipality of Astano, which rents it out for management.

It is a romantic and special oasis because it combines nature and recreation at the same time; in fact, the pond is listed in the cantonal inventory of amphibian reproduction sites of cantonal importance, while the north-west bank preserves protected plant and animal species (see specific information sign).

In the past, the pond was considered a pond; since 1929, all the banks have been rebuilt except for the north-west bank, which has remained a natural and protected area. Changing rooms and a buvette were built, making it a bathing facility or ‘bathing-beach’, as it was called in those days. On the shore of the pond, it is also possible to practice sports fishing.

In 1968 it was emptied completely to allow the bottom to be cleared of the slime created over the years: the net depth reaches 10 m and in some places 12 m.

This idyllic place has inspired many artists and above all the Astano photographer Eugenio Schmidhauser, who immortalised it several times in his postcards.