Vallata delle Cascate di Cerveteri

Five waterfalls mark the short valleys of the Vaccinello and Mola streams behind Cerveteri. The cascades—Vaccinello, also called del Moro; Arenile; Braccio di Mare; Ospedaletto; and Mola—lie among the wooded Ceriti hills, whose paths also pass Etruscan rock-cut roads and bridges.

Why it matters

The waterfall valley is a natural counterpart to Cerveteri's archaeological heritage. Its two streams descend through the Ceriti hills, in the same landscape as the Etruscan vie cave, the necropolis of Banditaccia and the plateau of ancient Caere. The five named falls bring the hills' water and wooded terrain into focus alongside the town's better-known stone monuments.

What to notice

The falls are modest in height but distinct in character, with water stepping over tuff and pooling beneath holm oak and maquis. Their sequence follows the Vaccinello and Mola stream lines. The surrounding Ceriti hills preserve the volcanic stone used in the region's Etruscan roads and tombs, and the municipality's trail network connects the valley with routes through this wider landscape.

Context and history

The valley lies in the Ceriti hills between Cerveteri and the coast. Its streams and wooded slopes form part of a countryside long shaped by the town's relationship with the surrounding land: the Etruscan rock-cut roads, agricultural terraces and quarries sit alongside the watercourses. Today the falls are recognised as part of the area's natural and walking landscape.