Discovering the Cascate delle Marmore: The tallest man-made waterfall in Europe

Standing at a breathtakingly lofty 165 metres high, the Cascata delle Marmore – the Marmore’s Falls – is the tallest manmade waterfall in Europe. This beautiful waterfall, located approximately eight kilometres from the town of Terni in Umbria, Italy, was created by the ancient Romans.

This cascading waterfall pours into the lush valley below which is formed by the river Nera. A part of its source stems from the River Velino, with the rest of the river flowing into a hydroelectric power plant. The flow of this mighty waterfall is turned on and off and greatly depends on the requirements of the power company. The most memorable experience of the Cascata delle Marmore is to witness the gates being opened and the powerful rush of water tumbling into the valley below.

During the Roman era the River Velino had become vastly enlarged and had created a vast swathe of swamp-like, stagnant water. This unhealthy wetland brought disease to local residents and caused a threat to the city of Rieti.

In an effort to divert the dirty water into the cliff at Marmore, in 271BC Manlius Carius Dentatus, the Roman consul, ordered the building of the Curiano Trench.

The stagnant water then fell into the Nera River but that created a different problem. When the Velino River overflowed, its water moved through the Nera and towards the city of Terni and threatened the safety of the residents.

The problem caused contention and little was done about it for centuries. Despite two attempts to rectify the issue of the overflowing stagnant water by the construction of new canals it wasn’t until 1787 when Pope Pius VI ordered Andrea Vici, one of a vibrant dynasty of French-Italian architects, to modify the canal, giving it the cascading, lofty look it has today and finally overcoming the problem.

With its mighty gushing water and surroundings of the most dense and verdurous of landscapes whilst possessing a compelling history of ancient Roman architecture at its most inspiring, it is hardly surprising the Cascata dell Marmore remains a popular place to discover in Umbria.