The world's tallest man-made waterfall.

In Italy , the Marmore Falls, 165 meters high, was created when the ancient Romans diverted the Velino River 2,200 years ago.

Marmore Falls in Italy. Photo: MilaCroft — Marmore Falls in Italy. Photo: *MilaCroft*

The stunning three-tiered waterfall, known as Marmore Falls, is located about 8 km east of the city of Terni in the Umbria region of Italy. This waterfall was once a popular destination for wealthy young Englishmen in the 17th and 18th centuries when they visited England and Italy to explore the origins of Western civilization. The intrigue surrounding Marmore Falls lies not only in its grandeur but also in the fact that it is the result of human intervention in nature, according to Amusing Planet .

Two thousand years ago, there were no waterfalls in the area. The Velino River, where the waterfall is located, had a completely different course, flowing into a swamp in the Reiti plain. The stagnant water in the swamp was thought to be unhealthy and believed to cause many diseases affecting the population, so the Roman official Manius Curius Dentatus ordered the construction of a canal called the Curiano Trench in 271 BC to drain the swamp and channel the water into the natural cliffs at Marmore, creating the waterfall. From there, the water flowed down to the Nera River below.

However, the solution did not work as intended. The Reiti Valley continued to flood. As the Velino River rose, it also flooded the Terni Valley, where the river changed course. The artificial canal and subsequent flooding became the source of a long-standing dispute between the inhabitants of Terni and the Reiti Valley. The people of Terni wanted to close the canal, while those living in the Reiti Valley wanted to increase the flow of the waterfall to contain the excess water. The issue between the two cities became so tense that the Roman Senate was forced to intervene in 54 BC, but they were unable to reach a consensus and resolve the matter for centuries.

After the Roman Empire, invasions, and the rise of feudalism, many territories and rural areas were gradually neglected. Due to a lack of maintenance, the bottom of the Curiano Canal accumulated silt, and the Reiti Valley became flooded again. It wasn't until the 15th century that Pope Gregory XII ordered the construction of a new canal to restore the original flow. Improvements were made by Pope Paul III in the mid-16th century, and a regulating valve was installed to control the flow. The final adjustments that gave the waterfall its current appearance were carried out by architect Andrea Vici under the direction of Pope Pius V1 in the late 18th century.

Andrea Vici may have solved much of the flooding problem, keeping the waterfall intact for the past 200 years. However, a hydroelectric power plant on the Velino River now either blocks or reduces the flow of water depending on when the plant releases water. Water is released twice daily, at 12-1 pm and 4-5 pm. Marmore Falls has a total height of 165 m, making it the tallest man-made waterfall in the world . Of its three tiers, the top tier is the highest at 83 m.

An Khang (According to Amusing Planet )

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