 Erto and Casso were the two villages in the Vajont () valley, above the artificial lake, before the Vajont Dam disaster on 9 October 1963.The landslide and flood killed almost 2,000 people in total, destroying five villages in the Piave valley but leaving Erto and Casso only slightly damaged.The two villages were cautionally evacuated within three days of the disaster and the valley stayed empty for three years thereafter.