Isola del Liri is a jewel of Ciociaria to be visited at least once in a lifetime. The spectacular historic centre was founded in the Middle Ages at the foot of the Cascata Grande, the 27-metre waterfall that makes everyone fall in love.
Obbligo di Baciarsi a Isola del Liri
And even those whose hearts are too hardened are ‘obliged’ to stop for an unforgettable kiss against the backdrop of the ciociara island, complete with #KissnefregaseGlialtriciGuardano (#WhoCaresIfOthersAreWatching) to post on social media! So scenic, it is the only waterfall that cascades down into the centre of Italy.
Cascata Verticale e Castello Boncompagni Viscogliosi
The history of Isola del Liri is strongly linked to the course of the Liri river. In fact, its position was one of the reasons why the Romans conquered it in 305 BC. The spectacular historic centre was born in the Middle Ages at the foot of the Cascata Grande, 27 metres of Nature’s irrepressible power. It is an island, the name says it all, a tongue of land between the two arms of the Liri River. Since the year one thousand, the Boncompagni Viscogliosi castle has defended the Sora Plain and forced the Liri to form two branches that unwind into two waterfalls right in the centre of town: the Cascata Grande, or Vertical Waterfall, and the Cascata del Valcatoio. Nature has done the rest by creating two bubbling cataracts. Water and light play chase each other, painting heart-opening rainbows.
From the year 1000, it hosted the Della Rovere and then the Boncompagni family, but it was not until 1600 that it became a true lordly residence thanks to Costanza Sforza. She embellished it with biblical frescos depicting court intrigues in the Sala delle Rondinelle and with 18 stucco high reliefs of the municipalities in the Duchy of Sora in the Salone dei Diciotto Paesi. There are also statues personifying the virtues of a good prince and a splendid Italian garden with a chapel dedicated to the Madonna delle Grazie.
Villa Nota Pisani – www.prolocoisolaliri.it
In the 19th century, under French rule, there was a revival of the numerous paper mills that had been established in the 1500s and today some of these, examples of industrial archaeology, have been transformed into locations for cultural activities. Perusing Isola del Liri, we find the Villa Nota – Pisani, or Villa Lefebvre. It was commissioned to French artists by the Lefebvre, the noble family of entrepreneurs in the paper industry who founded the paper mill of the same name in 1816, determining the economic development of the village. They lived in this eclectic-style villa until the early 20th century.
Villa Nota – Pisani, affesco su Isola del Liri – www.prolocoisolaliri.it
The interior is decorated with frescoes, trompe l’oeil and papier peint caressed by light from Belle Époque-style stained glass windows. Outside is the large park shaded by pointed roofs, dormers, spires and pinnacles, with romantic paths surrounded by fountains and tall trees. In the early 20th century, Cavavalier Antonio Pisani purchased it and it was later inherited by the Nota family. The villa is one of Lazio’s Historical Residences that can be visited with a guide.
Isola del Liri FR Liri Blues Festival – Facebook @liribluesreal
Among the historical events in the village of Isola del Liri is the Liri Blues festival in Piazza De Boncompagni, one of the most important Italian blues festivals. Born in 1988, concerts are flanked by nightly jam sessions and music in the streets of Isola del Liri, in the shadow of the spectacular waterfall.