Cascata del Varone

The Varone Waterfall is a 98-metre cascade of the Magnone stream, which has cut a narrow gorge through Jurassic limestone above Riva del Garda.

Why it matters

The gorge exposes the force of water shaping limestone over a long period. Its two caves reveal different levels of the cascade, while the stream's connection with the underground outflow of Lake Tenno links the waterfall to the wider local water system.

What to notice

The lower and upper grottoes reveal the gorge at different heights, with the upper cave opening onto the falling water. The limestone surfaces show the effects of erosion, and the damp microclimate supports a botanical garden. The stream also once powered silk production in the area; in 1908 Emperor Franz Joseph awarded the owner a certificate of merit for local silk.

Context and history

The waterfall became part of the nineteenth-century cultural landscape around Lake Garda. It opened in 1874, and accounts associate the site with visits by Gabriele D'Annunzio, Franz Kafka and Thomas Mann. Mann's winter stay in Riva in 1901 and his later novel The Magic Mountain are often linked with the waterfall. The gorge lies in the municipality of Tenno, within the hamlet of Varone.