Narni

Narni is about a half-hour drive from Attigliano, and I went with Anna, Laura and Robert’s daughter, and her boyfriend, Tom. From the town, you walk along a dirt path overlooking the River Nera before arriving at Le Mole, a series of natural pools. The water is strikingly clear—the clearest I’ve ever seen—and just as shockingly cold. I only built up the courage to go in once before retreating to the rocks, where I spent the rest of the afternoon overlooking the pools and reading The Secret History.

In fact, Le Mole di Narni is one of Umbria’s most unique natural sites. Fed by underground springs, the pools stay around 12 °C even in summer, which explains why locals flock here to cool off. The site sits along the Gole del Nera, a trail created from an old railway line that now draws hikers and cyclists through the valley. The pools are a stunning escape into nature—part hidden gem, part summertime ritual.