Cascata delle Marmore, a photo from Terni, Umbria

Photographer's Note

Cascata delle Marmore
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
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 Europe 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.
Most of the time, the water in the canals above the falls is diverted to a hydroelectric power plant, so the flow in the falls themselves is reduced to the level of a creek. Piediluco Lake, above the falls, is used as a reservoir for the power plant. The Galleto power plant, built in 1929, is architecturally interesting. Its capacity is about 530 MW. To control the operation of the power plant, and to satisfy tourists, the fall is turned on according to a set schedule, achieving a spectacular effect at full flow. An alarm is sounded first, then the gates are opened, and in a few minutes the small creek is transformed into a full-sized river rushing into the void below.
Normally, the fall is turned on between noon and 1:00 PM and again between 4:00 and 5:00 PM every day, with additional times on holidays. An entrance fee is charged to visit the falls and the surrounding area.
A path along the falls allows the visitor to hike up to the top of the falls. Along the way, a tunnel leads to an observatory just next to the falls, where a visitor is guaranteed to get soaked. A safer observatory near the top affords a grandiose view of the falls and of the Nera valley below.
The Velino river flows through the highlands that surround the city of Rieti. In ancient times, it fed a wetland that was thought to bring illness (probably malaria). To remove that threat to the city of Rieti, in 271 BC, the Roman consul Manlius Curius Dentatus ordered the construction of a canal (the Curiano Trench) to divert the stagnant waters into the natural cliff at Marmore. From there, the water fell into the Nera river below. However, that solution created a different problem: when the Velino river was in flood stage, its water flowed through the Nera toward the city of Terni, threatening its population. The issue was so contentious between the two cities that the Roman Senate was forced to address it in 54 BC. Cicero represented Terni, and Aulus Pompeius represented Rieti. The Senate did nothing about the problem, and things remained the same for centuries.
Lack of maintenance in the canal resulted in a decrease in the flow, until eventually the wetland began to reappear. In 1422, Pope Gregory XII ordered the construction of a new canal to restore the original flow (the Gregorian Trench or Rieti Trench).
In 1545, Pope Paul III ordered that a new canal be built (the Pauline Trench). The plan was to expand the Curian Trench and to build a regulating valve to control the flow. Upon its completion some 50 years later (in 1598), Pope Clement VIII inaugurated the new work, and named it after himself: the Clementine Trench.
In the following two centuries, the presence of the canal was problematic for the countryside in the valley below, as the Nera often flooded it. In 1787, Pope Pius VI ordered architect Andrea Vici to modify the leaps below the falls, giving the falls its present look and finally resolving the majority of the problems.
In 1896, the newly formed steel mills in Terni began using the water flow in the Curiano Trench to power their operation. In the following years, engineers began using the water flow to generate electricity.

dip, RhodieIke, Budapestman, Charo, emilbo, Sonata11, krzychu30, danos, snunney, baddori, ingvar, macjake has marked this note useful

Critiques | Translate

bayno (18348) 2011-06-28 10:27

Ciao Silvio,
Bella inquadratura, belle tutte le tonalit� di verdi spezzate dalla bianca cascata, ottimo il punto di scatto.
Super nota.
Un saluto,
Valter

mauro61 (53429) 2011-06-28 10:29

ciao Silvio,
questo taglio lo preferisco al precedente.
Notevole resa della grande massa d'acqua che in pi� salti scende gi�.
Buona gestione di una difficile luce,
saluti
maurizio

dip (21408) 2011-06-28 10:41

Ciao Silvio,
what a wonderful scenery!
very good point of view,excellent clarity and light managment very well composed,
well done!
greetings,
Dimitris.

alabate (1197) 2011-06-28 10:43

Ciao Silvio,

Tr鑣 beau paysage � trois couleurs, magnifiquement captur�.
Les cascades semblent faite de lait, tellement l'eau est blanche, cela donne un effet superbe.
La v間閠ation luxuriante est d'un beau vert vif et contrast�. Vraiment une magnifique photo.

Une tr鑣 belle journ閑.
Amiti閟,
Adriano

bebbetto (122) 2011-06-28 10:54

Ciao Silvio
Bella inquadratura e splendida visione di una cascata che (mi vergogno a dirlo) non conosco.
Nota enciclopedica
buona serata

bema (26591) 2011-06-28 11:05

Hello Silvio,

waterfalls ae always a re vey fine motive to capture, and you have managed to pick up this splendid picture in real good way!

thanks for sharing, see you around, Bernd

Bluejeans (64251) 2011-06-28 11:20

Ola Silvio ,
Outro belo plano desta cascata delle Marmore , bonito o contraste da agua com o verde , boa luz , parab閚s!!
Um abra鏾 Gon鏰lo

grigand (20290) 2011-06-28 11:48

Ciao silvio,
Grandiosa ! stupenda immagine di queste incredibili cascate .. ricordo anni f� di aver aspettato quasi un'ora per vedere lo spettacolo
ciao
andrea

RhodieIke (11752) 2011-06-28 11:49

Hi Silvio, Super photo of these fantastic falls, you have captured well, great colour's and presentation, Cheers Iain.

francio64 (39888) 2011-06-28 12:06

Buonasera Silvio,
buon taglio verticale che mostra i vari salti di queste famose cascate italiene.
Buona la gestione della luce.

TFS!
L'Assessore

jemaflor (147270) 2011-06-28 12:33

Hi Silvio,
Great falls, well taken from this pov, perfect light and colors, tfs.

Budapestman (82620) 2011-06-28 13:59

Hi Silvio,
a fabulous view with spectacular vertical composition, the POV is superb, great details and lights, fantastic atmosphere, Tfs! Have a nice evening! Kellemes est閠 k韛醤ok!
Gy鰎gy

Fis2 (170919) 2011-06-28 14:15

Witaj Silvio!
Beautiful waterfall.
I like vertical frame and composition.
Good colors.
Excellent water effect.
Well done.
Best regards
Krzysztof

lousat (139352) 2011-06-28 14:17

Bellissima cartolina con la perfetta posizione della luce per far risaltare il bianco della spuma e la sua nebbiolina,grandi dettagli e ben saturata...buonanotte! Luciano

Guenther (10915) 2011-06-28 14:19

Ciao Sivio,

che stupenda vista... pensavo fosse qualche posto in nella giungla brasiliana... ottima composizione!

Buona serata
G黱ther

lakshmip1949 (19081) 2011-06-28 14:46

hello Silvio,

Lovely cascades captured beautifully. I like the greenery around the waterfalls. The sharpness and clarity are superb.

Lakshmi

atus (15878) 2011-06-28 15:55

Ciao Silvio,
ottima inquadratura per questa bellissima cascata. Pdv eccellente e perfetta gestione della luce.
Complimenti e buona serata.
Attila

Charo (51290) 2011-06-28 16:03

Ciao Silvio,
Ancora un'altra foto di questa cascata fantastica, dove la forza e la quantit� d'acqua, sollevando nuvole di vapore.
Il posto � sicuramente bellissimo.
Grande prospettiva con grande forza e la definizione ottimale.
Un abbraccio,
Charo

emka (158204) 2011-06-28 16:19

Hi Silvio,

Where is this wonderful waterfall? It is amazing. great quality of the picture, sharpness and colours are perfect.

WArm regards

Malgorzata

emilbo (22616) 2011-06-28 16:38

All� Silvio!
Magnifique prise de vue et merveilleuses chutes, deux pour le m阭e prix. Excellente exposition qui donnent un effet r閑l. La v間閠ation est superbe et beau contraste de couleurs.
F閘icitations!... et toutes mes amiti閟,
Emilius

Sonata11 (34119) 2011-06-28 18:22

Hello Silvio,
what a beautiful view of beautiful waterfall. Wonderful composition and framework as well. Perfectly well done. My congrats. This is a brilliant shot!!!. I love it.
All the best,
Barbara

jjcordier (79299) 2011-06-28 22:59

Silvio
Superbe photo de ce magnifique endroit que tu as parfaitement mis en image.
Amicalement
JJ

HimalAnda (10671) 2011-06-28 23:34

Hello Silvio,

This is a very nice place and an impressive waterfall.
Your composition is excellent, we can feel the power of the waterfall on this picture.

St閜hane

krzychu30 (15512) 2011-06-28 23:44

Hello Silvio,
first of all,thank you for sharing with us this beautiful picture.I had no idea about this waterfall,and I thought I read a lot books about Italy.
It磗 really wonderful.You captured it perfectly with a good POV and chosing a vertical frame was a good option here.I enjoy also these splendid,vivid colors,which make the whole composition so lively.
Have a nice day
Krzysztof

danos (110407) 2011-06-29 0:32

Ciao Silvio,
fascinating the view of the waterfalls of Marmore,as they flow through the wooden cliffs of the Mt. Impressive the sight of the altitude as the optical effect that created. Informative your note as well.

Have a good day,Danos

mkamionka (74607) 2011-06-29 1:54

Ciao Silvio,
amazing view. I have probably said it already but I did not really expect to see such a place in Europe. Beautiful natural colors. The water seems so powerful. I like also a small touch of the cloud above the waterfall,
very well done,
M

snunney (130967) 2011-06-29 3:10

Hello Silvio,
They look as if they have been devised by nature these man-made waterfalls with an ancient history. A splendid well framed composition with the falls placed just off-centre. I like the little cloud seemingly floating over the uppermost falls. Lovely ambient light and excellent natural colours; good sharpness throughout. Most interesting note.

dta (98848) 2011-06-29 4:05

Ciao Silvio ,
A superb capture of these outstanding falls . The framing is excellent .
A gorgeous wild scenery .
Regards

baddori (20341) 2011-06-29 6:04

Silvio
Una nota da "funzionario" agli annales.
Perfetta descrivere il bello � dire "bello".
GF

Sergiom (117241) 2011-06-29 6:10

Bonjour Silvio

C'est un bien bel endroit que tu nous pr閟ente. Cette s閞ie de chutes et de cascades est de toute beaut� et le cadrage vertical donne beaucoup de profondeur � l'ensemble.

Amicalement

Serge

siamesa (28231) 2011-06-29 7:28

Bom dia Silvio

Uma cascata espetacular com uma beleza incr韛el. Linda foto,amigo. Obrigada por partllhar.

Abra鏾s
maria

peppe59 (14555) 2011-06-29 7:32

Ciao Silvio,
bellissime le cascate forse pi� famose d'Italia, una luce perfetta ne f� apprezzare ancora di pi� i colori e le sfumature, bravissimo ottimo scatto.
saluti
peppe

cornejo (61504) 2011-06-29 9:42

Ciao Silvio. A composition very good of this image of the waterfall so beautiful. A picture very beautiful, a good work technically very well, congratulation. Have a good afternoon, thanks for sharing.

Best regards.
Ciao Angel.

npecanhuk (79329) 2011-06-29 17:02

Ciao Silvio!
Wonderful waterfalls!
Truly attractive picture!
Chosen pov, composition, exposure and colors are highlights and really pleased me!
TFS - congrats,
Cheers,
Neyvan

paninho (3025) 2011-06-30 8:39

Salut Silvio!

Je pr閒鑢e celle-l�! Le cadrage vertical est mieux adapt� que la pr閏閐ente. L'endroit est vraiment spectaculaire! Et la lumi鑢e toujours aussi belle!
C'est ou plus exactement?

Nice job my friend!

Bonne journ閑!

Antonio

ikeharel (113483) 2011-06-30 9:13

Buona sera Silvio,
Impressive and magnificent photo of the waterfall.
Perfect lighting and colors and i almost imagine the water roars...
Ciao
Ike

ingvar (2106) 2011-06-30 14:41

Ciao caro Silvio!
Che spettacolo, da piccolo volevo trovare uno simile, sapendo dai libri che c掕 sempre un tesoro nella caverna sotto l抋cqua� I sogni sono spariti, ma questo tipo di immagine mi affascinano sempre.
Buona serata, caro!
I.

sacavem (18620) 2011-07-01 8:17

Ol� Silvio,

It adds grounding to the movement of the water which is captured beautifully with the slow shutter speed. The colours are deep and beautiful. Well done.

I'll be away for 2 weeks, starting July 02, deserved vacation :)
Filipe

macjake (98456) 2011-07-01 10:19

Hi Silvio
beautiful double waterfall! :)
I don't think we often see the double very often!
the touch of white cloud in the sky is a great compliment to the white water.
splendid photo for your collection.
cheers
craig

Longroute (19600) 2011-07-07 23:37

Questa non l'ho mai vista n� in foto n� nella realt�. Non pensavo fossero cos� grandi, sembra la giungla brasiliana....
qui era di rigore il formato verticale per accentuare l'imponenza di questa cascata. Inquadrata molto bene con la nuvoletta che sembra una continuazione in alto della cascata.
Bella luce intensa e colori vivi.

Ciao,
Donato

SWEETFREEDOM (24623) 2011-07-10 7:50

Ciao Silvio,
grandioso spettacolo, ottimi colori e contrasto
ciao
Alessandro