RIVERS AND STREAMS

Between water and land

Crystal clear waters flow across the valley, with small torrents and majestic waterfalls creating an enchanting landscape in the thick woods!

The river Cecina river and its many tributaries flow through the valley down until the Tyrrhenian Sea, creating small natural pools, waterfalls and beautiful sceneries with their crystalline waters.
Visitors can access the secluded valleys through a network of well-marked paths across an area of protected environments with the most diverse biodiversity.

What to visit

There are many spots that are worth a visit, especially inside the borders of the nature reserves. They’re stunning not only because of the spectacular nature displayed, but also because of the many geological, animal and botanical features you’ll find.
The mountain community Unione Montana Alta Val di Cecina has signaled and mapped every path of the area, so that visitors can access the most secluded and special corners of the valley. The most impressive views can be found along the streams
Ritasso, Pavone, Strolla, Fosci and in some of the most characteristic points of the Trossa stream and the rivers Sterza, Trossa and River Cecina, visitors will find examples of riparian vegetation and nearly untouched fluvial ecosystems.

FIND OUT MORE

Valdicecina is undoubtedly connected to the presence of River Cecina as it was in the past, and certainly not only for its name. It is a land rich of water streams that undergo periods of extended summer drought, a valley with torrents of high natural character and spectacularity.

Any visitor, when walking along the Valley, will be immediately astonished by those water streams that basically remained untouched up until today: the vegetation that surrounds torrents, the spectacular ophiolite rocks and imposing lacustral settlements that face some water streams, render the landscape extremely varied, rich and certainly pleasant for anybody who takes excursions in Valdicecina, even for the first time.

The spring of River Cecina is located in the province of Grosseto, in Cornate di Gerfalco, at about 812 m of altitude. It runs through the Province of Siena until it flows in torrent Pavone, up to the Province of Pisa at very few km from the mouth. During the last tract, it reaches the coastal plain on the province of Livorno, running a length of about 79 km in the main section. It mainly boasts a torrential character alternated to periods of drought in the summer time. On the left bank, Cecina takes water from torrents Trossa, Pavone and Sterza while on the right bank, it receives water from torrents Fosci, Cortolla, Lupicaia.

Northern of Volterra, there are the springs and the initial tract of River Era, affluent of Arno, while on the southern side of the area, the watershed of river Cornia begins.
The hydrography also reflects the geology and geomorphology of the entire area: where the clay deposits of miocene and pliocene prevail, the landscape is characterized by soft hills, alternated to rural areas, while the areas characterized by the most ancient rocky sub-layer are distinguished by steep hills and deep incisions.

Surveys have shown generally good or excellent conditions of the upper section of the watercourses, while as they move down towards the valley, the overall quality undergoes somewhat intense degradation. Today, however, the conditions are improving thanks to purification policies and to a diminished impact of industrial and agricultural activities.