Last Day

Coming to Italy has been spectacular. We saw Sienna and Perugia to get a sense of the larger cities but spent most of our days in the small Etruscan hill towns, some just miles from Piegaro. Though there are similarities to them all, each of these villages has it's own character and style.

Today, we decided to get out into nature and visit the largest waterfall in all of Europe, Cascata delle Marmore at the southern tip of Umbria. Not only is this waterfall the largest, but it was originally built by the Romans in 290 B.C. Designed to control the water in the valley above, it's gone through many variations since it's beginnings and today, is controlled by opening and closing pathways and is only "on" for a couple of hours each day. It's used as a power generation system during this time.

We timed our visit to see it run at noon, then we hiked up to the top (150m) and explored the town of Marmore a bit, as well as the park that runs all along the edge of the hill. The views were stunning, looking out in all directions at hillsides and valleys framing the surrounding villages.

We decided we needed to see the falls in action again and waited (not so patiently) for the second run at 4pm. It was well worth it, and the mist cooled us down, especially when we visited the lookout right below the falls. Dan was soaked from head to foot.

These photos can't really give a sense of all that's happening. as the falls drop several hundred feet, then split out into many separate falls that also drop in many directions. Some out towards the major walkways and some along the forest trails that we walked also. The layout of the park is ingenious and with the mist and shade, it was very comfortable to hang out there all day, even though the temperature was well into the 80s.

We leave early in the morning to catch our plane in Rome and head back to New York, then on to Seattle. I can't believe how quickly two weeks has flown by. I think I'll have my head in Italian clouds for some time and I know I can't wait to get home and try some of the recipes we've been enjoying learning over here.

Back to reality . . . Ardel



View of a section of Cascata delle Marmore, the largest waterfall in all of Europe.


This amazing waterfall was originally engineered by the Romans in about 290 B.C.


It flows over several hundred feet and splits out into several smaller waterfalls.


The water is controlled in the town of Marmone above the falls and is only "turned on" for an hour twice a day on weekdays.


The water flows along many wooded pathways that we hiked through while enjoying it's mist and roar.


Since it only flows for a small time each day, there is much established vegetation in it's path.


Dan and Ardel catching the mist of the falls at one of the lower viewpoints.


Lori in front of the falls.


These water plants were very large and beautiful.


Ardel and Dan standing in front of one of the many caves that we came across. The rock is all travertine and quite impressive.


Another cave of the travertine stone.


Dan in the lead as we walked up hundreds of stairs to get to the top of the waterfall.


There was a very long tunnel through the side of the mountain we climbed and on the other side of this, we were able to stand just below the waterfall. It was too wet to photograph, but here are Ardel and Dan heading in. Lori followed closely behind.


This rock was so unusual, seeming to drip down the hillside to create these eerie caves.


Dan sitting on what looks like a lava trail. It was smooth as glass and extended back into this cave several feet.


Our pets of the day . . . a rooster and a cat were resting during the heat of the day while we walked through the park at Marmore, the town that sits at the top of the waterfall.


Our view while we waited for the 4:00pm waterfall to begin. A watched waterfall never flows doesn't sound right, but that's how we felt as we watched and watched and the trickle never seemed to get any larger. Then we finally gave up and headed down to the next platform and by the time we arrived, maybe 5 minutes later, the flow was HUGE.


Second pet of the day. We saw several chameleons during our visit to Italy. Most were too quick to photograph. This one was fighting with another (he's got it's tail in his mouth) and was in one spot long enough for Lori to grab this shot.


Heading back to our car after several hours exploring and hiking. Then home to L'Antica Vetreria where we needed to pack to return to Seattle.