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00 Isola Del Liri
Stemma di Isola del Liri

Lazio · Frosinone

Isola del Liri

The Ciociaria town with a 27-meter waterfall in its centro storico and a paper-mill past once called the Manchester of Italy.

Best time
Apr–Oct
By car
1 h 32 min from Rome
By train
Station in the comune
Population
10,735

Known for

  • URBAN WATERFALL

    27-meter Cascata Grande in the middle of the historic center, the Liri dropping over a limestone shelf next to the castle.

  • MANCHESTER OF ITALY

    19th-century paper and textile capital, with mills along the Liri exporting across Europe and to North America.

  • LIRI BLUES

    Free blues festival running since 1988, founded after the paper industry collapse to rebuild the town's draw.

When to visit

Best · Apr–Oct

  • J11°
  • F14°
  • M15°
  • A18°
  • M23°
  • J29°
  • J34°
  • A32°
  • S27°
  • O21°
  • N16°
  • D12°
  • Best
  • Hot or crowded
  • Quiet
  • Mostly closed

Daytime averages, 2020–2024. Weather data by Open-Meteo.com.

Why come

Isola del Liri is built on an actual island, where the Liri river splits into two arms and the two arms fall over a limestone shelf into the lower valley. The Cascata Grande is 27 meters high and lands inside the historic center, fifty meters from the Castello Boncompagni-Viscogliosi, the fortified palace above it. The second fall, Cascata del Valcatoio, is partly diverted for hydropower.

From the 19th century the river ran the paper mills, felt mills and wool mills that gave the town the name Manchester of Italy: the Fibreno-Lefebvre mill exported to North America. The paper industry collapsed in the late 20th century. The town responded with the Liri Blues Festival, started in 1988 by a local businessman, Luciano Duro, to draw attention back to a place that had lost its trade; it became one of Europe's longer-running free blues festivals. The Cammino di San Benedetto walking route passes through.

The Sunday letter

Isola del Liri is on our list. Its letter is still to come.

We are writing about all 1,000 of these towns, one at a time, in a free letter every Sunday: the photo, the food, the festa. That is our mission. Sign up and you will be there when Isola del Liri comes up. By Peter & Sophia, from Pietrasanta.

Read on

Isola del Liri in our articles

How to get there

From Naples / Salerno (NAP), about 1h 49m by car.

Rome (FCO) is about 2 hours away.

By car from the centre of Naples 2 hours or Pescara 2 hours.

There is a railway station in the comune, so you can arrive without a car.

Coming from Rome or Naples?

Coming by train into Latina? Isola del Liri is about 1h 14m away by road.

Every town within reach of Naples / Salerno airport.

Isola del Liri, photo 1
Isola del Liri, photo 2

What to see

  • Cascata Grande

    27-meter waterfall in the center of town, the Liri river dropping over a limestone shelf next to the castle.

  • Cascata del Valcatoio

    Second urban waterfall on the right arm of the Liri, partially diverted for hydroelectric production.

  • Castello Boncompagni-Viscogliosi

    Fortified palace from the 14th century above the Cascata Grande, residence of the Boncompagni-Ludovisi from the 16th century.

  • Ex Cartiera Fibreno-Lefebvre

    Historic paper mill complex on the Liri, in slow conversion into a Museum of the Civilization of Paper and Telecommunications.

  • Centro storico

    Medieval island core between the two arms of the Liri, the streets organized around the waterfall and the castle above it.

The slow-trip planner

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Plan your trip

Living here

  • Population 10,735
  • Commuter belti
  • Pharmacy in town
  • High school within a 30-minute drive
  • Train station in the comune
  • Nearest airport Naples / Salerno, 1 h 49 min drive
  • Regional capital Roma, 1 h 32 min drive

Common questions

What is Isola del Liri known for?
Isola del Liri is the Ciociaria town with a 27-meter waterfall in its centro storico and a paper-mill past once called the Manchester of Italy.
Where is Isola del Liri?
Isola del Liri is a comune in the province of Frosinone, in Lazio, at 217 meters above sea level.
What is the nearest airport to Isola del Liri?
Naples / Salerno (NAP), about 1h 49m by car.
Can you get to Isola del Liri without a car?
Yes. There is a railway station in the comune, so you can arrive by train.
How long is the drive from Naples to Isola del Liri?
About 2 hours by car.
When is the best time to visit Isola del Liri?
Best in Apr–Oct. July is the warmest month, averaging 34 degrees, and November the wettest, with about 13 rain days.
Which other towns are like Isola del Liri?
Montefiascone, Monteprandone and Fiesole.
How many people live in Isola del Liri?
10,735 at the 2023 count.
Tags & datadesignations · numbers · sources

The numbers

  • Elevation: 217 m
  • Population: 10,735
  • Surface area: 16.01 km²

These figures were compiled from public directories: ISTAT, OpenStreetMap and Wikidata, and from the official listings of the guides named on this page. Town details change; verify with official sources before you travel.

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