Cascate del Varone, Waterfall in Tenno, Italy
Cascate del Varone is a waterfall on the Torrente Varone, formed by the Magnone stream, which drops about 100 metres in three sections: upper cave, lower cave and open steps. The water has cut a nearly vertical gorge 55 metres long from the lower entrance and 73 metres deep at the top. A walkway inaugurated in 1874 leads into the gorge beneath the falls.
The waterfall became accessible to visitors starting in 1874, marking the beginning of tourism at this location. Since then it has developed into an established destination that continues to draw people to the area.
The name comes from Varone, the Riva del Garda hamlet at the foot of the falls; upstream the stream is called Magnone. A visitors' register records Gabriele D'Annunzio, Emperor Franz Joseph I, Franz Kafka and Thomas Mann, who stayed at Riva del Garda between 1901 and 1904 and may have drawn on the gorge for a passage in The Magic Mountain.
The visit runs through the Parco Grotta Cascata Varone, entered from the red building on the road at the foot of the slope. Paths and walkways lead into the gorge to the lower cave and up to the upper cave, with steps between levels. Expect spray and wet boards near the falls; sturdy shoes help.
The gorge measures 55 metres from the lower entrance and has been cut 73 metres into the rock at the highest opening; the water carries so much sand and gravel that it drills potholes and erodes the limestone about two millimetres a year. The visit register kept since 1874 names Franz Kafka, Thomas Mann, Gabriele D'Annunzio and Emperor Franz Joseph I.
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