A fascinating natural creation, patiently and inexorably dug in millennia by the Metauro River, which created a number of circular cavities, can be seen in San Lazzaro di Fossombrone. It is the Marmites of Giants, the only turquoise coloured canyon in the Marche region. Most peculiar water pools lie there, into which the bright blue sky and the vegetation flanking the river banks are reflected. The typical cauldron-like shape of Marmites is due to the erosion of the calcareous rocks by the powerful flow of the river waters. According to local legends, it was giants who performed the long, hard job of digging such fascinating and unique natural ponds. Some of the Marmites have got such remarkable sizes as a four meter diameter and a six meter depth. The bravest visitors may admire this natural wonder by walking on the trail along the river banks in the canyon. Those who would rather just feed their eyes and soul with that dreamlike vision, can look down the Diocleziano Bridge, which is better known as Ponte dei Saltelli (bridge of little jumps).
San Lazzaro di Fossombrone