Cascata delle Marmore

The powerful rush of water is almost blinding as it reflects every color or the rainbow in the morning sun. The sound itself drowns out everything else you hear, and if you listen closely it almost sounds as if the waterfall had its own pulse. Cool droplets of water splash and settle on your face and hands as you close your eyes and the rhythm of the falling water joins with your own heartbeat.

The Cascata delle Marmore (Marmore's Falls) is a man-made waterfall created by the ancient Romans. Its total height is 165 m (541 feet), making it one of the tallest in Italy and the tallest man-made waterfall in the world. Of its 3 sections, the top one is the tallest, at 83 m (272 feet). It is located 7.7 km from Terni, a provincial capital of the Italian region of Umbria. Its source is a portion of the waters of the river Velino (the rest of the river flows into a hydroelectric power plant), after flowing through Piediluco lake near the community of Marmore. It pours into the valley below formed by the river Nera. Its flow is turned on and off according to a published schedule, to satisfy the needs of tourists and the power company alike. Tourists try to be there the moment the gates are opened to see the powerful rush of water.