How to get to the Acquacheta waterfall described by Dante in the Divine Comedy?

The Acquacheta river is the most important tributary of the Montone which makes a jump of over 70 meters in the waterfall of the same name before reaching S. Benedetto in Alpe.

This waterfall is also known for being described in the XVI canto of the Inferno of Dante Alighieri’s Divine Comedy. It can only be reached through an excursion of about a couple of hours that goes up the river valley.

There are 3 itineraries to reach the wonderful Acquacheta waterfalls which are located on the border between Tuscany and Emilia-Romagna. Here they are:

The first path we recommend is the simplest one and, consequently, the most popular. Start in the village of San Benedetto in Alpe (Emilia Romagna) following itinerary number 407 which will take you up the stream to the waterfalls.

The second path, alternative to the previous one, starts from the Muraglione Pass and continues on the path that passes on the main ridge (marked CAI 00) crossing the plateau of the Fiera di Poggi. At a certain point, you leave the path of the ridge and begin the descent into the Acquacheta valley arriving in the abandoned village of Romiti behind which you can admire the saint of the Acquacheta Waterfall.

The third path that we recommend, due to its difficulty, is dedicated to those who are trained. You can start from San Godenzo and take path 10 to reach Colla dalla Maestà. We remind you that this is a fairly long path that we recommend you to take preferably in the spring and autumn seasons, thus avoiding extremely cold or hot periods.

Here are the verses that the poet Dante Alighieri dedicated to the Acquacheta Waterfall:

Come quel fiume c’ha proprio cammino
prima da monte Veso inver levante,
dalla sinistra costa d’apennino,
che si chiama Acquacheta suso, avante
che si divalli giù nel basso letto,
e a Forlì di quel nome è vacante,
rimbomba là sovra San Benedetto
dell’Alpe, per cadere ad una scesa
dove dovrìa per mille esser recetto;
Dante, Inferno, XVI, 94-105