Little Town of Isola del Liri and Arpino, Lazio Italy

Cascata Grande, Isola del Liri

When we talk about a vacation to Italy, the usual cities that we would normally hear would be Rome, Florence, Venice, but there is more to Italy than just these big tourist packed cities that are as charming. Since 'Captain' is an Italian he knows the other side of Italy that many tend to overlook; the little sleepy towns. This year on our way to the Campania region, we decided to stop for a few days in the mountains of Lazio and visit a few small towns like Frosinone, Cassino, Collepardo, Fiuggi and my personal favorites, Isola del Liri and Arpino

When I asked Captain as he maneuvered effortlessly through the narrow winding road what was the attraction of this little town, he simply told me in one word "Waterfall". Little did I know the waterfall he meant was this 27 meters fall of Cascata Grande right in the middle of the town which earned itself the title of the tallest natural town waterfall in the world. The town is surrounded by waters from the Liri river that split into two and re-merged earning the town its name as 'isola' or island. The same river also formed not one but 2 waterfalls within the town limits. Imagine wandering around this charming town through it's cobble stone walks while listening to the rush of water.. blissful!

This gorgeous house was surrounded by water..

We couldn't help but snapped this.. 2 generations socializing

During the walk we found a nice pizzeria next to the second waterfall called Aqua Liri and decided that it would be a great place for dinner. We made our reservation and decided to kill some time before dinner by taking a short drive up the mountain to another small medieval town called Arpino. More narrow winding roads and this time climbing up. I must say I was so impressed with Captain's driving, I mean of course I've seen him driving throughout our decade plus of marriage but driving on a steep narrow mountain roads was no joke! I would have scraped the side of the car and ended up with only half of it! The roads got narrower as we climbed deeper into the town and at one time I was sure we were going to get stuck between the 2 walls! We then decided to park and walked the rest of the way. And boy, it was one of the best walks of my life, climbing steps and small alleys that went through this little hilly town with spectacular views of the valley below. 

Every little cottage or house we passed couldn't be any less than a few hundred years old and they were well preserved and maintained in all their splendor. The town was cozy and quiet and it was as if time just stood still. One of the twins commented that days seemed so long when we were in the mountain and I had to agree with them. Captain and I were talking about long term vacation to this part of Italy, you know renting a cottage for a couple of months and live among the locals. I think it would be fabulous!

I hope you enjoy some of my snapshots of these towns because how do one describes a spectacular sight that couldn't be described in words? I guess there is no way but through the lenses and experiencing it first hand. So, if  you ever are in this part of the world, don't forget to add the mountains of Lazio especially the little town of Isola del Liri and Arpino in your must see list. It will be worth the time spent.

This is one of the narrowest streets we drove by.. we had to walk back for a picture

These TOMS are made for walking.. perfect for cobble stone walks!

We bumped into this cozy B&B in the middle of the steps and alleyway maze

Stunning view of the valley below at sunset..