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3 Umbrian Legends of the Waters: Fascinating Stories to Discover

21 February 2024

3 minutes

Umbria is an ancient region, full of beautiful myths and legends to tell both adults and children. Geography and history are intertwined with fantastic ones, told as fairy tales and passed down from grandparents to the youngest children. We offer a taste to make you curious and set out to discover 3 places: Lake Trasimeno, Marmore Falls and Clitunno Springs.

The legend of Agilla and Trasimeno

The legend of Agilla and Trasimeno tells of the love between a nymph, Agilla, and a prince, Trasimeno, son of the Etruscan king Tyrrhenus. The nymph began to sing to attract him, and the prince in a boat went to the center of the lake, near Polvese Island. They fell in love and were married shortly thereafter, but the day after the wedding Trasimeno went out for a swim but never resurfaced. Agilla searched for him in vain all his life. According to legend, the rustling of the wind in the leaves of the trees of Lake Trasimeno would represent the desperate cry of the nymph, as well as the waves moving the boats, the passage of the Nina checking the presence of the prince.

The legend of Nera and Velino

The legend of Nera and Velino, at the origin of Marmore Falls.

One Gnefro (a small elf) told travelers the legend of an impossible love between a Nymph named Nera and a young Shepherd named Velino. Juno, learning of their love, was enraged, for it was forbidden for any relationship between men and gods, and turned the Nymph into a river. Velinus no longer finding his beloved questioned the Sibyl who revealed what had happened. The Shepherd threw himself off the Marmore cliff and out of pity Jupiter turned him into water during his flight so that he was saved and reunited with the Nera River for eternity.

The legend of the miraculous waters of the Fonti del Clitunno

During antiquity in the deep waters of the river Clitunno dwelt the God Jupiter, worshipped in the Temple not far away. The waters of the Clitunno were seen as a source of purification of the soul: anyone who plunged into the river emerged improved, a legend passed down through the centuries so much so that poets Virgil, Byron, and Carducci were fascinated by the unique beauty of the places, so much so that they dedicated verses to them.

Route of legends

It is possible to walk the legends from Marmore Falls through the guided tour and the Nymph Trail, and from April 2024, the exhibition “THE HOUSE OF BUTTERFLIES” – an attraction that allows visitors to see dozens of wonderful specimens of tropical butterflies hatching day by day in the “nursery” will fly inside the hiking area at the greenhouse of the Marmore Falls Environmental Education Center – will be available again.