Description of the attraction
The Valle delle Ferriere waterfalls are located on the territory of the natural reserve of the same name in the vicinity of Amalfi, one of the most popular resorts in Italy. This attraction is not particularly famous, because when they talk about the Amalfi Riviera, the first thing that comes to mind is the magical beauty of the coast with a dozen cozy villages, luxurious cathedrals, ancient palaces and monuments of history and architecture of the great maritime Amalfi Republic. However, aside from all this, there are many other interesting places, and the natural reserve "Valle delle Ferriere" is one of them. It is located just above Amalfi and is easy to get to with a short walk right from the city center.
Valle delle Ferriere is an amazing place that captivates visitors with its landscapes and wildlife at first sight. The Canneto River flows through the entire territory of the reserve, which forms amazing waterfalls and small ponds, which in spring become a mecca for bathers. It is thanks to Canneto that the vegetation of the reserve is so lush and varied. Here you can see a wide variety of colorful orchids, the well-known for its large leaves vudwardia and the hairy-flowered ghee, a carnivorous plant that feeds on small insects. The most common representative of the reserve's fauna is the otter. And, of course, the bird kingdom of these places is incredibly diverse.
The territory of Valle delle Ferriere is famous not only for its natural heritage, but also for the monuments of human activity. So, in the very center of the valley, several ancient mills have survived, which today are no longer in business. In the past, they produced food products, primarily pasta. Also here you can find many traces of one of the most important and profitable branches of the economy of medieval Amalfi - paper production. The paper was made using special technologies, the foundations of which were borrowed from the Arabs. Today, there are 16 paper mills in the Amalfi area, but only two of them are open to visitors. And then there is the Paper Museum, housed in an old mill.
In the upper part of the Valle delle Ferriere, you can find the ruins of another old factory, the so-called "opificio". Once upon a time, it produced almost all the iron used by the traders of the Amalfi Republic. And it was from here that the name of the entire valley came - in translation from the Italian language it sounds like the Iron Valley.
