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Lovers of central Italy usually flock to Assisi (St. Francis), Orvieto (great white wine) or Perugia (chocolate, among other treasures).
While all these locations are well deserving of a visit, the real secret of Umbria is the Cascata delle Marmore (Marmore Waterfall). The falls are stunning and the surrounding national park offers a chance to get back to nature.
The walking paths wind around the waterfalls and are a good way to explore the park. For the faint hearted, I recommend taking the hike downhill, rather than attempting the grueling 40 minute trek up the mountain.
However, if you are looking for an activity truly off the beaten track, try signing up for a river-rafting excursion that literally launches off at the base of a waterfall.
The journey continues along the Nera river and the rapids are class 3, which is an average difficulty.
A licensed guide leads every rafting experience and one can tell they know their stuff just from looking at their Tarzan-like appearances, complete with dreadlocks and tribal tattoos. Don’t be intimidated though, they are a friendly group of guys who are there to have just as much fun as you!
For more info on river-rafting visit www.raftingmarmore.com
– Contributed by Ian Zurzolo, (see bio, writer, editor, American University of Rome Senior, Italian Notebook Editorial Intern.
This is fantastic. I come from a part of the states where rafting is part of life… and I so miss fresh water sports! I might have to close my B&B for a week next summer and go to Umbria for a couple of days to do this!! Grazie mille…
Our landlords/friends in Perugia took us on an all day drive through Umbria and Le Marche and this was one of our first stops! We arrived just in time for the water to be released – this is a man-made waterfall that dates back to the Romans – at certain times of the day they release the water which begins as a gentle trickle and becomes a raging torrent of water rushing over ledges and around a lush wooded backdrop. It was absolutely breathtaking. Thanks for bringing me back to that early summer day!
Gratulations man, radio irish wave talked about your blog on 2 pm. Header was your issue Rafting Beneath Waterfalls – ItalianNotebook.com. Hot work. so long