[1] With an elevation of 1,407 metres (4,616 ft), Mount Fumaiolo overlooks the villages of Balze di Verghereto, Bagno di Romagna and Verghereto, in Romagna, and thanks to its extensive fir and beech forests, it is a well-appreciated tourist area of natural interest.
[2][3] The source of the river Tiber (Tevere in Italian) originally consisted of two springs a few meters away from each other on the slopes of Mount Fumaiolo.
The active spring is located in a beech forest at 1,268 meters above sea level on the southern slopes of Mount Fumaiolo, near the village of Balze di Verghereto in the Emilia Romagna region.
In 1927, under Benito Mussolini's dictatorship, an antique marble column from the Roman Forum was placed on the spot, with an inscription on it: QUI NASCE IL FIUME SACRO AI DESTINI DI ROMA ("Here springs the river / sacred to the destinies of Rome"), to mark the association of the Fascist regime with the ancient Roman empire.
A Roman eagle stands on the top of the column, and three wolf heads, each holding a ring in its mouth, are visible on the sides.