The Marmitte dei Giganti: the Metauro's secret canyon at Fossombrone

Just before the famous Furlo Gorge, where everyone slows down to photograph the sheer cliffs, there is a place most travellers drive past without even noticing. It is called the Marmitte dei Giganti and lies in the hamlet of San Lazzaro, a couple of kilometres from Fossombrone, along the course of the Metauro. Here the river squeezes into a narrow, deep ravine, and over the millennia the water has worked the rock like a patient chisel.

The name

The name comes from a legend. The cylindrical cavities scoured out by the whirlpools, some of them several metres wide, look like enormous cauldrons: the story goes that these were the pots in which giants cooked their game. The geological reality is more modest but just as fascinating: they are erosion potholes, produced by stones and gravel spun around by the current, which have polished the limestone until it is as smooth as ceramic. In some spots the gorge narrows to little more than a metre, and the water takes on a striking green-turquoise colour.

The trail

You usually set off from the Ponte dei Saltelli, also known as the Ponte di Diocleziano, where it is easy to leave the car. From there a path follows the bank, winding among sculpted rocks and shady stretches. It is not a demanding walk, but it calls for care: the stones near the water are slippery, and after rain the river level can change quickly. Proper shoes and a bit of caution make all the difference.

The reserve

All of this falls within the orbit of the Furlo Gorge Nature Reserve, a land of cliffs, woods and ancient memories. On the heights and along the gorge, abbeys and hermitages linked to the old Benedictine monastic tradition still survive, discreet presences that invite you to slow your pace. It is a corner of the Marche where mass tourism has not yet arrived.

When to go

To see it at its best, choose spring or early autumn, when the heat is mild and the river carries enough water to colour the pools. Avoid summer weekends and take all your rubbish away with you: the fragility of these places is part of their beauty.

Getting there

By car it is easy to reach from the A14 motorway, exiting at Fano and taking the SS3 Flaminia towards Fossombrone: the Marmitte are just outside the town centre, in the San Lazzaro-Calmazzo area, following the signs along the Metauro valley. The nearest railway station is Fano, on the Adriatic line, from where you can continue by intercity bus to Fossombrone. The reference airport is Ancona-Falconara.