Terni travel guide
Roman-made waterfalls, Saint Valentine's basilica and a steel-town centre
Terni is an industrial city in southern Umbria, rebuilt after the war, best used as a base for the Marmore waterfalls, Narni and the Nera valley. Visit from April to October, when the falls run more often; one night is usually enough. Prices are high, and many passports enter visa-free.
Terni is a working Umbrian steel town and makes no attempt to hide it. Allied bombing flattened much of the centre in the Second World War, and the mills that earned it the nickname City of Steel still mark the skyline. What brings visitors is just outside: the Cascata delle Marmore, a waterfall the Romans created by cutting a channel for the Velino river, which now drops 165 metres in three leaps into the Nera gorge.
Saint Valentine is the other draw. He was born here and served as the town's bishop, his remains rest in the Basilica di San Valentino, and every February the city leans into its title as the City of Lovers.
Rome is about 100 km to the south-west and Perugia 80 km north, so Terni works as an overnight stop between the two and a base for Narni, Lake Piediluco and the Valnerina.
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Top things to do in Terni
Rome-made waterfalls, Saint Valentine's shrine and a few survivors of the old city among postwar streets.
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Best time to visit Terni
Month by month, so you can pick the weather and the crowds you want.
Green gorge, river rafting and comfortable walking on the Marmore paths.
Hot in town; head for the falls and Lake Piediluco, which are cooler and busy at weekends.
Saint Valentine's feast fills the basilica and brings events across the city.
The Marmore falls run at full flow only at set hours, because the water is otherwise diverted to a hydroelectric plant. From November to February the water is released only at weekends and on holidays, for an hour or two around midday, while in August it runs from morning to early evening, plus an hour after dark.
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Getting there
Roma Termini trains and the Orte junction
Rome's airports are the usual gateway. From Fiumicino, the Leonardo Express or a regional train runs into Roma Termini in about half an hour, and regular direct trains continue north to Terni, roughly an hour to an hour and a half depending on the service.
- From Rome
- Direct trains from Roma Termini, about 1 to 1.5 hours
- From Fiumicino (FCO)
- Train to Termini, then on to Terni
- From the north
- Change trains at Orte
- By car
- A1 to Orte, then SS675
- Travellers from Florence and the north change at Orte, where the line to Terni leaves the main north-south railway.
- Terni station is also on the line that carries on through Spoleto and Foligno towards Perugia and the Adriatic, and Perugia's small airport (PEG) is around 80 km away, with a much shorter list of routes.
- By car from Rome, follow the A1 motorway to the Orte exit, then the SS675 dual carriageway to Terni.
- From the station, Viale della Stazione and Corso Tacito lead straight into the centre in a few minutes on foot.
- Build in time to reach the falls for a scheduled water release; missing it means seeing a trickle.
Where to stay
Corso Tacito, the station or Piediluco's shore
Terni is a practical base, and most hotels are simple, business-style places at fair rates. Choose the city for trains and restaurants, or the countryside around the falls and Lake Piediluco if scenery matters more. Narni, 13 km west by train, has more atmosphere.
- Station and Viale della Stazione
- A cluster of plain hotels, easy for trains and the bus to Marmore; the least characterful part of town
- Corso Tacito and Piazza della Repubblica
- Shops, bars and restaurants on the doorstep and the liveliest evenings; some street noise
- Marmore village
- Rooms and B&Bs a short walk from the upper viewpoint, so you can catch an early release; very quiet at night
- Lake Piediluco
- Lakeside guesthouses among wooded hills, cooler in July and August; a car makes life much easier
- Narni
- A medieval hill town 13 km west with more atmosphere than Terni; trains connect the two
Getting around
Walk the centre, bus to the falls
The rebuilt centre is compact and flat: Corso Tacito runs from the station to Piazza della Repubblica, with Palazzo Spada and the cathedral a short walk away. Busitalia's Marmore Link leaves Piazzale della Rivoluzione Francese, about 150 metres from the railway station, roughly every 30 minutes, timed to meet trains.
- On foot
- Station to centre in a few minutes
- Marmore Link bus
- Terni bus station to the falls about every 30 minutes
- Car
- Best for Narni, Carsulae and the Valnerina
- The Marmore Link ticket is sold together with the train ticket on Trenitalia.
- Rural buses to Narni, Carsulae and the Valnerina are infrequent, so a hire car is far more flexible.
- Rafting operators on the Nera usually meet clients at their bases near Marmore.
Know before you go
What makes Terni worth the trip, and what catches visitors out.
Why travelers love it
- The Cascata delle Marmore at release time, when the water is let loose and the spray soaks the lower viewpoint.
- The Basilica di San Valentino, where the saint's relics draw couples from all over Italy around 14 February.
- Palazzo Spada, Sangallo the Younger's Renaissance palace, now the town hall, with frescoes of Greek myths and the Battle of Lepanto.
Good to know
- The town itself is no beauty: give the centre a couple of hours and save the rest of the day for the falls and the hills.
- Marmore paths are steep and wet near the base; wear shoes with grip and bring a light rain layer.
Trip fit
BookingMentor editorial ratings out of 5, based on a first-time visitor's experience.
Weather in Terni, month by month
For Terni we use long-term ISPRA (Istituto Superiore per la Protezione e la Ricerca Ambientale) records; each month shows how warm and wet the Nera valley typically gets.
Climate figures are approximate long-term averages for Terni (Istituto Superiore per la Protezione e la Ricerca Ambientale, via Wikipedia).
Timing the Marmore Falls around the water releases
Check the release timetable first and plan backwards from it. Take the Marmore Link bus from beside Terni station, or drive the short way east, to the Cascata delle Marmore, and start at the Belvedere Superiore, where the Velino pours over the lip of the cliff.
Then follow the paths down through the woods to the Belvedere Inferiore for the full height of the three cascades. Byron saw the falls and wrote about them in Childe Harold.
For lunch, continue a few kilometres to Lake Piediluco, a quiet lake ringed by wooded hills, where you can rent a boat or sit by the water.
Spend the afternoon in Narni, a hill town 13 km west of Terni. Walk its medieval lanes, look over the ruins of the Roman bridge of Augustus on the Nera, and join a tour of Narni Sotterranea, the underground rooms that include an Inquisition cell. On the way back, the Roman town of Carsulae, with its stretch of the Via Flaminia, is a short detour. End the day in Terni, with a stop at the Basilica di San Valentino.
Ciriole, black truffle and panpepato at the Ternana table
Order ciriole alla ternana, the town's own pasta: thick, hand-rolled strands of flour and water, served with garlic, olive oil and chilli, or with mushrooms and truffle when in season. Southern Umbria is black-truffle country, and trattorias grate it over eggs, pasta and crostini.
Meat is mostly pork and game. Look for local salumi such as capocollo and Norcia-style hams, and wood-grilled lamb in the countryside restaurants near Marmore and Piediluco. At Easter every bakery sells pizza di Pasqua, a tall cheese bread eaten with salami for breakfast.
Terni's sweet is panpepato, a dense Christmas cake of nuts, honey, chocolate and spices, made in the weeks before December. For wine, the whites of nearby Orvieto and the reds from around Montefalco are the natural choices. The bars along Corso Tacito are the place to start the evening with an aperitivo.
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How we research our Terni travel guide
Trains from Roma Termini and Orte and the bus to the Marmore Falls are rechecked with the Comune di Terni and Italia.it; the falls' release timetable is the detail to confirm before a visit.
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Checked against trusted sources:
Official website of TerniItalia.itUNESCO World Heritage Centre
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Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
Quick answers to the questions travelers ask most before visiting Terni.
General
The Busitalia Marmore Link bus runs from the bus station next to Terni railway station about every 30 minutes; buy it with your train ticket by choosing Cascata delle Marmore as the destination. By car it is a short drive east.
The Romans, who cut a channel in the 3rd century BC to drain the Velino river into the Nera, creating a 165-metre fall.
Tradition says yes: he was born here, served as the town's bishop and his relics lie in the Basilica di San Valentino, which is why Terni calls itself the City of Lovers.
One night works well: the largely postwar centre needs a couple of hours, while the falls, Narni, Lake Piediluco and the Valnerina fill a full day.
Yes. Operators run whitewater trips on the Nera river below the Marmore falls, mainly from spring to autumn.
Terni's own pasta, thick strands of flour and water rolled by hand, usually dressed with garlic, oil and chilli; panpepato is the local Christmas sweet.
Easily. Narni is 13 km west and Spoleto lies up the railway towards Foligno, while the Roman ruins of Carsulae on the old Via Flaminia are best reached by car.
The rebuilt centre is compact and flat: Corso Tacito runs from the station to Piazza della Repubblica, with Palazzo Spada and the cathedral a short walk away. Busitalia's Marmore Link leaves Piazzale della Rivoluzione Francese, about 150 metres from the railway station, roughly every 30 minutes, timed to meet trains.
Timing & weather
At full strength only at scheduled times, because the water is usually diverted for hydroelectric power. In winter that means weekends and holidays only; from spring to autumn there are releases every day, so check the timetable before going.
The best time to visit Terni is Apr to Jun, Sep to Oct. Warm enough for rafting and the falls trails, with more water releases than in winter.
- Spring and autumn: April - June, September - October (Green gorge, river rafting and comfortable walking on the Marmore paths)
- Summer: July - August (Hot in town; head for the falls and Lake Piediluco, which are cooler and busy at weekends)
- February: Around 14 February (Saint Valentine's feast fills the basilica and brings events across the city)
July is the warmest month in Terni, with average highs of 33°C, and January the coolest, with lows of 3°C. November is the wettest month, at about 116 mm of rain; July is the driest. For Terni we use long-term ISPRA (Istituto Superiore per la Protezione e la Ricerca Ambientale) records; each month shows how warm and wet the Nera valley typically gets.
Getting there
Roughly an hour to an hour and a half on the direct services. By car, take the A1 to Orte and then the SS675.
Perugia (PEG) is closer at about 80 km but has far fewer routes; most visitors fly into Rome Fiumicino and finish by train via Termini.
Visa & documents
Schengen rules apply in Italy. Citizens of the EU and of many other countries, including the US, UK, Canada and Australia, can visit visa-free for up to 90 days in any 180-day period; other nationalities need a Schengen visa. The EU's Entry/Exit System (EES) records non-EU travelers' fingerprints and a photo at the border.
Health & safety
Violent crime against visitors to Italy is rare. Pickpocketing is the main problem, especially on buses and metros in Rome (bus 64 is notorious), at Roman and Florentine sights, and at Termini and Naples Centrale stations. Wear your bag across your body and zip it, and use only licensed white taxis or official ride apps.
