canyon exploring with Michele Angileri

Rio del Merro

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Guidebook: I canyon del Lazio (italian language)
Ultralight ropes canyoning technique
Which canyoning?
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few kilometers from Prenestini Mounts the rock is the same, so the streams have the same features. This is the case of Rio del Merro, a typical Prenestini canyon: few engaged (a lot of escape possibilities), much scrambling and many rappels. There's a difference, however: water flows in Rio del Merro, rather than the typycal Prenestini canyon.

Name	Rio del Merro
Area	Lazio, Monti Ruffi
Nearest village	Saracinesco
Elevation loss	360 m
Length	1500 m
Highest cascade	18 m
Rock	marl-limestone
Rating	2 (winter)
Shuttle	Indispensabile.
Explored by	Michele Angileri, Renato Donati, Edoardo Malatesta, Antonio Sera; march 21st 2004

I remember ...

Normally you can't see canyons of Balzi area from the outside, because they are hidden by woods and perspective. Your eyes see nothing more than a wooden valley, similar to thousands of valleys in Appennino. But sometimes a change in point of view may reveal a different reality.
These were my thoughts while following the path of Madonna dei Balzi, in the part facing Fosso della Mola ... From that point of view it was clear that Mola was not only a valley but a canyon to be explored.

Pictures 1 and 9 by Maurilio Caciotosto