Isola del Liri

The Liri divides around a rock outcrop in the middle of the town and falls on both sides: the Cascata Grande drops about twenty-seven metres directly beneath the walls of the Boncompagni Viscogliosi castle, in full view from the streets, and the Cascata del Valcatoio falls in a narrower chute on the other branch. Very few towns in Europe have a waterfall of this size inside the built-up centre. The water powered paper mills from the early nineteenth century and the industry shaped the town; some of the old mill buildings still stand along the banks. The castle above is open for visits.

History

The town is of Volscian origin, and after the fall of the Western Roman Empire it passed between the Byzantines and the Lombards until it became part of the county of Sora in the Principality of Capua (Wikipedia, Isola del Liri).

What's there

• The Cascata Grande - a 27-metre fall directly below the castle walls.
• The Cascata del Valcatoio - the second, narrower fall on the other branch.
• The castle - the Boncompagni Viscogliosi residence on the outcrop.
• The paper mills - nineteenth-century industrial buildings along the banks.

When to go

Year-round; flow is strongest in winter and spring and can be reduced in dry summers. The falls are lit at night. Castle hours are limited.

Good to know

Summer flow can be modest. The setting is an ordinary working town, not a scenic gorge. Castle opening is restricted and often by arrangement.

Nearby

Sora lies north; Montecassino is southeast.