Umbria · Terni
Arrone
Medieval castle village on the left bank of the Nera, upstream from the largest man-made waterfall in the world.
Known for
CASCATA DELLE MARMORE
165-meter three-tier waterfall five kilometers downstream, cut by the Romans in 271 BC, the largest man-made falls in the world.
MEDIEVAL CASTLE
Ninth- or tenth-century noble castle on the upper hill, with walls, towers and stone alleys preserved to the original layout.
NERA RIVER
Base for kayaking, rafting and the Cammino di San Francesco on the lower Nera, between Marmore and Ferentillo.
When to visit
Best · Apr–Oct
- J
- F
- M
- A
- M
- J
- J
- A
- S
- O
- N
- D
- Best
- Hot or crowded
- Quiet
- Mostly closed
The festa: Giovanni Battista, 24 June
Why come
Arrone sits on the left bank of the Nera in the lower Valnerina, the upper part of the village a 9th- or 10th-century noble castle with its walls and alleys still in their medieval layout. The town grew up around the fortified hill and spread along the river as the danger faded. The Cascata delle Marmore, the largest man-made waterfall in the world across three tiers, is five kilometers downstream; the Romans cut the original channel in 271 BC to drain the marshes around Rieti, and successive interventions through the 16th century gave the falls their present form.
The Cammino di San Francesco passes through, and the village is the base for kayaking and rafting on the lower Nera. The Chiesa di San Giovanni Battista in the upper castle holds 15th-century frescoes of the Umbrian school, and the collegiate Chiesa di Santa Maria in the lower village was rebuilt in the 16th century on Romanesque foundations.
The Sunday letter
We haven’t written Arrone’s letter yet.
One town every Sunday, with the photo, the food, the festa. Be there when this one comes up. Free, by Peter & Sophia from Pietrasanta.
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What to see
Castello di Arrone
Upper part of the village, the 9th-10th century castle, walls and steep medieval alleys preserved to the original layout.
Chiesa di San Giovanni Battista
Fourteenth-century church inside the upper castle, with 15th-century frescoes of the Umbrian school, including a Madonna and saints.
Chiesa Collegiata di Santa Maria
Sixteenth-century collegiate church in the lower village, rebuilt on Romanesque foundations, with frescoes by Vincenzo Tamagni.
Cascata delle Marmore
Largest man-made waterfall in the world, 165 meters across three tiers, cut by the Romans in 271 BC, five kilometers downstream from Arrone.
Casteldilago
Frazione of Arrone, a medieval hilltop hamlet preserved almost intact, with its own walls and parish church above the Nera.
The slow-trip planner
Building a trip? Find where Arrone fits in a slow Italy circuit.
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Living here
- Population 2,555
- Commuter belti
- Pharmacy in town
- Nearest high school over ~30 minutes away
- Nearest airport Rome, 2 h 30 min drive
- Regional capital Perugia, 1 h 37 min drive
Tags & datadesignations · numbers · sources
The numbers
- Elevation: 243 m
- Population: 2,555
- Surface area: 41.04 km²
These figures were compiled from public directories — ISTAT, OpenStreetMap, Wikidata — and from the official listings of the guides named on this page. Town details change; verify with official sources before you travel.
Close by
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A 705-meter borgo above the Rieti valley where Francis of Assisi staged the first living nativity scene in a cliff cave on Christmas Eve 1223.
Scheggino
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Triangular castle village on the banks of the Nera at 280 meters, where the first commercial Italian truffle company was founded in 1928.
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A walled medieval borgo at 451 meters eight kilometers south of Terni, with a Franciscan convent traditionally founded by Francis himself in 1213.
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A medieval borgo at 337 meters above the Via Flaminia, four kilometers below the ruins of Roman Carsulae.
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