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Fosso di Sant'Egidio

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Fosso di Sant'Egidio is a fossil tributary of Salto del Cieco canyon. Its name comes from the acient Sant'Egidio hermitage, perched on a spur of rock overlooking the Salto del Cieco. The very steep sides of canyon, impassable at first sight, were at one time frequented by the monks of the hermitage and the shepherds of Castellonalto (village perched on the edge of the opposite wall of the canyon) who went at the grazing grounds on the opposite side of canyon. Of the ancient paths still remain visible traces through the forest of oak and hornbeam. They lead to unexpected, hidden daring passages on ledges or walls (authentic secret passages) that allow you to completely immerse yourself in the beautiful and vertical mediterranean environment of the Salto del Cieco.
To this magnificent environment, the Fosso di Sant'Egidio adds the excitement and spectacle of a beautiful panoramic dryfall, now fossil but preserving the forms of erosion, indelible evidence of another geological time.

Name	Fosso di Sant'Egidio
Area	Umbria, Valnerina
Nearest village	Ferentillo
Elevation loss	140 m
Length	200 m
Highest cascade	53 m
Rock	Limestone
Rating	5
Shuttle	No
Explored by	Carlo Gatti, Vittorio Guido, Gianni Conti; 1993

I remember ...

There are a lot of fossil canyons in Valnerina, definitively abandoned by water. No more water means no more erosion and transport of debris, and so the latter accumulate in the bottom of canyons, reducing the height of the falls and in some cases deleting them completely. Over the centuries the bottom of a canyon becomes one long, steep slope of debris covered with foliage, uninteresting for canyoning.

This has largely happened to Fosso di Sant'Egidio. Luckily the big fall remained!

Photos and video by Michele Angileri and Andrea Pucci