We have selected the translation by Longfellow who was the first American to have translated Dante into English. Regarding the line which Longfellow interprets as “Where for a thousand there were room enough;” it is worth noting that, in the original text, Dante leaves the meaning vague as to whether Acquacheta could be fed by a thousand torrents, or whether its waters could water the fields to support a thousand inhabitants. This has been a debate in the Italian literary world and the two most prevalent interpretations are those of Natalino Sapegno (1901-1990) who supports the imagery of Acquacheta being fed by a thousand torrents, as is the consequent position of the thesis published in this website, and of Giovani Boccaccio (1313-1375) who supported the imagery of a thousand inhabitants benefiting from the waters of Acquacheta. All translations of Dante’s work into English, including Longfellow’s, have been influenced by Boccaccio’s interpretation. However, Longfellow’s version is the one that is closer to Dante’s vagueness on the subject.

Also worth noting, for the English reader, that the word “Alpe” (singular), “Alpi” (plural), refers to pastures on mountains. Therefore, San Benedetto dell’Alpe, as Dante calls it, or San Benedetto in Alpe, as it is known today, literally means San Benedetto by a mountain pasture.

Finally, regarding the opening reference to Mount Veso: "Monte Veso is among the Alps, between Piedmont and Savoy, where the Po takes its rise. From this point eastward to the Adriatic, all the rivers on the left or northern slope of the Apennines are tributaries to the Po, until we come to the Montone, which above Forlì is called Acquacheta. This is the first which flows directly into the Adriatic, and not into the Po. At least it was so in Dante’s time. Now, by some change in its course, the Lamone, farther north, has opened itself a new outlet, and is the first to make its own way to the Adriatic." (Note, as published with Longfellow's translation)

Today, Acquacheta is visited every day of the four seasons by naturalists, hikers, schools, artists and anyone with an appreciation for natural beauty or cultural heritage. Some two miles downstream from the waterfall, the torrent of Acquacheta is joined at San Benedetto in Alpe by another torrent, the Troncalosso which has just received the flow of another, the Rio Destro. From that point of confluence on, the single river that forms bears the name Montone as it flows down-valley towards Forlì and the Adriatic sea.

San Benedetto in Alpe, the gateway to Acquacheta, is build on two levels, the part of it that is called Molino, by the Acquacheta torrent, and the higher part, about a mile of a winding road up on the ridge called the Poggio, where the Benedictine monks built their Abbey in the ninth century. The valley of Acquacheta and the village nest among hills and ridges, lush forests and pasturescriss-crossed with paths for hiking carved out of the fertile soil when they were still the only way to traverse the mountains. The nature around San Benedetto in Alpe and the valley leading to the waterfall of Acquacheta reverberates itself with a uniqueness of beauty and tranquility.

Most of the Abbey we see today was rebuilt in the eighteenth century, the original structure having fallen to disrepair over the centuries for lack of funds, as all wealth was directed to finishing the Duomo in Florence. With its long history, since the days many centuries ago when it supported over one thousand inhabitants, San Benedetto in Alpe and its two hundred residents of the present day still stand as a welcoming gateway to Dante's Acquacheta.

In preparation for the seven hundredth anniversary of Dante Alighieri´s passing in 1321, this website was updated as an introduction to the waterfall through photographs as well as a source of information and study by presenting the graduation Thesis by Margherita Miserocchi: “The Waterfall of Acquacheta in the National Park of the Casentinesi Forests, Mount Falterona and Campigna: A geosite to conserve and to enhance”. Also offered here is an article by Massimo Ragazzini on the waterfall, a few words on Dante Alighieri himself and information on relevant websites and local establishments catering to visitors.