Marmore Waterfalls

Taking the State Road "Valnerina" from Terni, you'll reach the very famous Marmore Waterfalls after only 12 km. This is definitely an absolute must for whoever decides to visit Umbria.

The Waterfalls, which are immersed in a natural scenery of incomparable beauty, are an artificial work due to the Romans. In fact, at that time, the Velino river was greatly enlarged and had created a vast zone of stagnant waters, swampy and unhealthy. Aiming to make these waters deflow, the consul Curius Dentatus had a canal dug which directed them in direction of the Marmore cliff. From there, he had them precipitate, in a total fall of 165 meters, into the river-bed of the Nera river which runs along below.

In every age, the beauty of the Waterfalls has inspired poets and artists, among these: Virgilius, Cicero, G. Byron, and many others. For about 50 years now the waters of the Waterfall are used to fuel the hydroelectric power plant Galleto. Therefore, the spectacle of the Waterfalls can only be admired during the opening hours which are quoted in the table below. It was in fact due to the abbundance of these waters and the energy they generate that it was possible to establish the metal-working, electrochemical and electric industries at Terni.

Opening times: marmore-waterfalls-openig.doc