Cascate delle Marmore: Rafting, River Walking and Kayaking

On the hottest day of the year, when it became almost as hot in Rome as 40 degrees in the Netherlands, I experienced an unprecedented cool experience in the wild water at the Cascate delle Marmore (the Marmore Falls).

Terni, Umbria

The stream under these renowned waterfalls near the town of Terni in Umbria, an hour's drive from Rome, is known as the center of rafting, river walking and kayaking. It never happened, but one sweltering day when members of the foreign press were invited for a test drive, I couldn't say no.

Highest waterfalls in Europe

The Cascate delle Marmore are among the highest waterfalls in Europe. And among the highest man-made waterfalls in the world. They have a total of 165 meters drop, one 90 meter waterfall and two smaller ones. The special thing is that they are artificially constructed. In the year 271 BC, a Roman consul decided to divert the river Velino, which regularly caused flooding and malaria in the Sabina region, to the river Nera, almost 200 meters lower. But to prevent the latter from overflowing in turn, the flow had to be regulated.

As a result, the water from the Velino is now collected in a small lake, the Lago di Piediluca, where the locks are opened for two hours three times a day. During those hours, the falls are at their most impressive, thundering ferociously bubbling down, creating immense clouds of steam.

Energy supply

The waterfalls are not only there for tourism, by the way. The power of the falling water is converted into energy for no less than 8 different energy stations. The entire area can be supplied with power. Due to the work in the power stations, the falls are also of economic importance to the region.

In this video you can see the spectacle of the opening of the floodgates:

Visiting the falls and the park

Are you coming here especially for the Cascate delle Marmore? Check in advance the opening times of the Parco Cascate delle Marmore and the times that the locks open on the website, to avoid disappointments. Please note that the opening hours of the park can differ on weekends and during public holidays and holidays.

'horribly beautiful'

It – by Lord Byron in 1817 as 'horribly beautiful' – spectacle has been a tourist attraction of the highest order for centuries, and at the same time it offers the opportunity for several types of water sports: rafting with the locks open and river walking when they are closed.

A few miles downriver, an abandoned metal factory – an industrial archaeological relic from the days when Terni was still Italy's steel city – is now the base of the organization that has been active for more than twenty years. Rafting Marble.

Time for rafting

After a theory lesson there, we were able to put on our wetsuits and descend from the lookout esplanade (named after Byron) to the very wild flowing river. At the distribution over the dinghies I ended up with NOS correspondent Mustafa Marghadi, our supervisor and a Serbian colleague who mainly served as ballast.

Mustafa Marghadi's vlog about this day:

The next hour was one of intense emotions and childish fun: vigorous paddling amid rapids, waterfalls, bubbling foam, bouncing against walls and rocks with the occasional outboard expedition, under the green foliage of a dense vegetation between which you suddenly find a Roman bridge from the 2nd century could be discerned.

Barely arrived we could prepare for the second part of the program: river walking. Or take a generous shower under the now much thinner waterfall and then follow the same route wading, crawling and swimming, with the occasional splash and blissful floating.

A much quieter, but also extremely pleasant experience in what was then probably the coolest place in Italy. The pictures say enough.

If you don't have to be so adventurous, you can also just take a walk through the park and enjoy the view of the falls. There are several spectacular routes that you can follow that will take you to the most beautiful viewpoints of the river and waterfalls. The mist that comes from the falling water feels wonderfully cooling on your face during hot days.

Practical info Cascate delle Marmore

Photos: Rafting Marmore