Gagliato - The Ancinale Falls

The river that rises among the forests of the Serre

The Ancinale is the river that springs from Mount Pecoraro, 1423 meters above sea level, the highest peak of the Calabrian Serre, and descends its eastern slope for 45 kilometers until it flows into the sea just north of Soverato.

An extraordinary variety of landscapes

The Ancinale is one of the most representative waterways of Ionian Calabria. Having crossed the forests at high altitude, it finds itself advancing sinuously into the Chiaravalle Central plain, which lies at an average elevation of 550 meters. Downstream from this sort of plateau, the river faces a rocky step accelerating into a gully punctuated by a succession of waterfalls. When the slope finally decreases, the watercourse subsides, finally assuming the typical physiognomy of the Calabrian fiumare.

A picturesque sequence of waterfalls

In the territory of Gagliato is one of the most picturesque waterfalls of the Ancinale, a destination for an excursion that in fine weather can also have a bathing aspect. From the village one ascends the slope shaped in terraces on dry stone walls, witnesses of times when agriculture exploited every accessible surface. Following the path that at length reaches Cardinale, one comes in sight of a spectacular slide that the water has carved into a rocky drop, forming at its base a crystalline natural pool.