The canyon of surprises

Il canyon delle sorprese

Halfway between Rome and Viterbo, in the Marturanum regional park, in the Tuscia of Viterbo, the village of Barbarano Romano stands out for its beauty.

With the medieval walls, the ancient Porta Romana that welcomes travelers right at the entrance to the town, the stone houses, the balconies full of flowers in every season, the people who greet you on the street and spontaneously suggest what to see, the lush vegetation that surrounds the town, almost as if it wanted to protect it, the long stairways that go to the woods.

Lovers of nature walking and trekking sooner or later arrive in Barbarano Romano, to follow the tracks of wild animals, along the course of the Biedano river, digging one of the deepest canyons in Upper Lazio.

The Marturanum Park includes a set of gorges created by streams in the tuff rock and in the clay of the soil. Established in 1984, it is entirely located in the territory of Barbarano Romano, in an area between the Tolfa mountains and those surrounding the Vico lake reserve. It is therefore a territory with a great naturalistic value and with a high level of biodiversity. Little inhabited and also little frequented by people, the park’s wood is today a treasure chest. Each step is a surprise.

Paths of Etruscan origin dug into the tuff rock. The most famous is the “Calatore delle Cerquete”, a cut so narrow that it is difficult to enter but from which it is possible to look out and enjoy a spectacular view of the stream and of one of the falls. You can see tuff rock walls up to sixty meters high, which draw the canyon; waterfalls hiding among the vegetation; pretty beaches where you can stop to cool off and relax; fragrant mosses, with the shade of the trees that gives refreshment on the hottest days and a coolness that always let you feel being in another season. It’s a real refuge especially for those who spend hot summer days in the city.

The wood of the Marturanum Park offers different possibilities for different needs. Fans of Etruscan archeology can walk up to the necropolis of San Giuliano, a ghost town surrounded by lush vegetation, to visit the ancient tombs that preserve rock altars. Those who prefer to take an easy walk, on the other hand, can stop on the beach of one of the waterfalls and relax by listening to the sounds of the woods.

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