Marmore Falls is just incredible.
It’s the tallest man-made waterfall in the world with its 165 meters height, it’s situated in a beautiful and lush nature park in the middle of Italy, and it’s a Roman legacy and a historical place in itself.
I mean, could this waterfall be more intriguing?
But if I have to be honest, then neither Glenn nor I had ever heard of the Marmore Waterfall until we found ourselves in Terni, wondering what to do. So, We’re writing this post to put Marmore Falls on the map!
In this blog post, we’ll go through everything we know about Marmore Falls – such as the history behind it, how to get there from Terni or Rome, opening hours and tickets, and we’ll share pictures and information about all the great viewpoints you’ll find in the area. Now let’s begin!
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The History of Marmore Falls
As mentioned above, Marmore Falls (also known as Cascata delle Marmore in Italian) is the tallest man-made waterfall in the world. Man-made means it wasn’t created in a natural way, but instead made by humans – or in this case the ancient Romans.
The waterfall was created to divert the Velino River away from Rieti City because the river and the wetlands it created was thought to bring illness to the city. So in order to stop the Velino River to surround Rieti, in 271 BC, a Roman Consul ordered an artificial canal to be created.
This artificial canal diverted the river over the natural cliff at Marmore, and thus created the Marmore Falls, which we can still see today!
Since the end of the 19th century, the waterfall has been running through hydroelectric power plants. So every day, the waterfall’s water flow is turned on and off at specific times of the day to help create energy. Isn’t that incredible?
How to get to Marmore Falls in Italy
- From Terni: Marmore Falls is only located about 7-8 kilometers away from Terni in the Umbria Region of Italy. It’s super easy to get there with a direct train between Terni and Marmore. So book your hotel in Terni, explore the city, and visit the Marmore Falls on a day trip by taking the train. That’s what we did!
- From Rome: Want to visit Marmore Falls from Rome? You can easily go on a guided tour to Marmore Waterfall from the capital city of Italy. It’s also possible to go by train yourself, but you’ll spend 4 hours sitting on the train in total.
Mamore Falls ticket prices 2023
The Marmore Falls entrance ticket grants you full access to the waterfall, the park, and all the viewpoints mentioned in this blog post.
There are two ticket offices: One at the top of the waterfall and one located at the bottom of the waterfall. The ticket offices are only a short walk away from the entrances.
Once you got your ticket, make sure to keep it on you as you may need to show it again in order to see all the viewpoints.
| Ticket type | Ticket price |
|---|---|
| Adults 10+ years old | €12 |
| Senior 70+ years old | €10 |
| Children 5-9 years old | €9 |
| Children 0-4 years old | Free |
Mamore Falls opening hours 2023
The opening hours for Marmore Falls change every month. So it’s important that you visit the Marmore Website to find the specific opening hours for your visit.
Notice that there are different opening hours for the “Park” and the “Water Release”. This is because the flow of water is only strong for a couple of hours each day. You will hear a big alarm sound when the water is turned on and the big flow begins.
Make sure to visit during the water release hours in order to get the full experience of the waterfall.
Tiers and viewpoints of Marmore Falls
It’s time to share some information about the different tiers and viewpoints that you can find at Marmore Falls.
The waterfall consists of a total of 3 tiers – all of which you can easily visit on a hike through the park. You can also find some additional viewpoints, which are located closely to the falls.
Here are all the tiers and viewpoints we passed by during our day trip.
First Tier: Belvedere Superiore
The first stop in our day was the Belvedere Superiore – also known as the first tier of the waterfall. This is where the waterfall first drops off the Marmore cliff at an 83 meters height! You can really hear the force of the water from this part of the falls – but not to worry, you won’t get wet at this point.
Apart from watching the waterfall, you also get an incredible view of the nearby area from this viewpoint. So it’s safe to say that this is the best part of the waterfall, and it’s definitely a must visit on your trip to Marmore Falls.
Lovers’ Balcony
The first tier is the top of the waterfall, so it only goes down from here. The trail in the park has a steep decline but it’s pretty easy to hike because of the great path they’ve created. However, this part of Marmore Falls is definitely not wheelchair friendly.
In between the first tier and the second tier, you’ll find that the trail takes you past a place named “Lovers’ Balcony”. This is apparently one of the best places to stand if you want to feel the force of the waterfall. However, we didn’t get to experience this since the viewpoint was closed during our visit.
But we’d love to hear about it in the comment section if you went here!
Second Tier: Wet viewpoint
Get your ponchos out when you reach the second tier!
Seriously, we got so wet.
You’ll find the second tier by just following the signs at the trail. It’s a much smaller drop than the first tier, but it’s much wider and it’s really beautiful! So make sure to pass by the second tier and take it all in. If you don’t want to get wet, then you can pass by this tier when the water is turned off and the flow of water is much weaker.
Third Tier: Bottom View
In my opinion, the third tier of Marmore Falls is probably the least impressive one. But that certainly doesn’t mean you shouldn’t visit!
We watched the third tier from a lovely balcony. Here you could also see the first tier from a different angle. However, when we reached this part of the waterfall, the water had been turned off. So there was not that much water running down the waterfall – which may be why we were less impressed.
Belvedere Pennarossa Inferiore
To find the BEST viewpoint of Marmore Falls in its whole, you have to leave the park, cross the road, and follow another trail up towards the Belvedere Pennarossa Inferiore viewpoint.
From here you get an incredible view of the whole waterfall. The scenery is just so beautiful from here!
Glenn and I waited an hour for the waterfall to be turned on again, and it was so worth the wait. While waiting, we read about the viewpoint and learned that a lot of artists had been here through time. Trying the capture the beauty of Marmore Falls.
We can only recommend you to go to this incredible viewpoint. There is also another viewpoint a little further up the trail, but we didn’t think it was as good as this one. This is definitely the BEST place to get a full view of the waterfall.
If you want to visit this viewpoint, then make sure to have your ticket ready to be checked at the entrance of the trail.
FAQ about Marmore Waterfall
Swimming is not possible. However, you can go rafting in Marmore. Check out raftingmarmore.com for more information on this.
Yes. Many!
Yes! There are plenty of parking spots at the top part by the ticket office at the first tier, or at the bottom part by the ticket office at the third tier.
Oh yes. Bring an umbrella and a rain jacket or just buy the €1 poncho at the ticket office.
I would say that it’s pretty challenging to visit Marmore Falls if you’re not fit or if you have any issues with your knees. There is a steep incline/decline when getting from the bottom to the top tier, so make sure to take your time if you are struggling.
Yes. We went to have a crazily overpriced beer at one of them. But you can only expect that at touristic places.
Check the Marmore Website to see the water release hours. When we visited it was between 11-13 and 15-16. We stayed there all day and saw both scheduled water releases. It was just incredible!
We hope you enjoyed this blog post about beautiful Marmore Falls (Cascata delle Marmore) in Italy. If you have any questions about visiting the waterfall, then don’t hesitate to leave a comment below and we’ll get back to you. Thanks for reading and happy travels!
Check out this other blog post from Italy:
Thanks for this info! We’re from Melbourne, Australia, and have travelled in Italy many times. Currently in Napoli for the 3rd time (our fave), we’re heading to Terni tomorrow by train & will use your blog info to visit Marmore Falls whilst we’re there for a couple of days. Thanks for the comprehensive blog!
Hi Kumari and Paul, you’re much welcome!
I hope you enjoyed this trip to Italy and got to explore the waterfall from all angles. We haven’t made it to Napoli or Melbourne yet, but are excited to go some day 😁
Hi Glenn and Cecilie
We’re retired and moved to Italy 3 years ago and bought our house in Monteleone d’Orvieto, Terni 2 years ago. I heard about the Marmore Falls and read your blog which was most informative. Yesterday we were invited to meet up with a group nearby and combined it with a visit to the falls. In my research I discovered that you can go rafting and river walking – unfortunately we’re too old to do the white water rafting. Check out https://www.raftingmarmore.com/en/
Rafting – Hydrospeed – River Walking – Soft Rafting – Tubing – Kayak -Canyoning
Iso9001 Safety and Environment Certificate
Hi Denise, thank you so much for your comment. We love it when readers help us along the way. I’ll make sure to update this guide with the new information at the end of October once I’ve looked over it 😊 We can surely see the appeal of retiring in Italy. We’ve been to Italy together 6 times, and every time we discover new places and amazing food and wine. It’s one of our all-time favorite countries!
We hope you enjoyed your visit to Marmore Falls. Ciao!