If you’re tired of the Chaos of the city, even if it’s the most beautiful city in the World Rome, we’d like to offer you one of our favorite destinations and completely out of the ordinary.
Calcata!
Calcata is only about 40 minutes away from Rome and it is a tiny hamlet perched on a spur of rocks overlooking the beautiful Treja Valley.
Like Civita di Bagnoregio, Calcata gained an eerie title of “Dying city” or “Ghost Town”. Its frail bones are made of a malleable kind of stone: Tuff Rock, present in the entire region, which has ceased its strength through the centuries, exposed to the elements decade after decade.
In fact, it’s because of the constant erosion that the town of Calcata is now reduced to a touristic attraction, with very few brave men who continue to live there. The majority of its inhabitants were forced to flee and leave their homes and their lives behind, with the precarious conditions the town is in and has been for hundreds of years.
Imagine this small hamlet, entirely built in stone, carved on top of a cliff with nothing but forest many feet below. Living here today, would be a pure act of bravery.
The peak of people leaving the town forever were during the first three decades of the 1900s. The reason why is that during the Fascist Era, Old Calcata, was registered as one of the towns that had to be dismantled.
This sad and inevitable departure has left a sort of veil of mystery and mysticism behind, predominant in the town to this day. A magical retreat. For the Hippie community, at least, that has made Calcata its Camp Base in the 60’s.
Requalifying this abandoned place by giving back it’s ancient charm, taking advantage of its uniqueness and tranquility, to elevate its artistic value.
To add even more mystery, Calcata is also called the “the Witches cove” by the locals. Legend has it, one can hear the witches whisper with the wind, blowing through the alleys and stone arches.
As you can imagine, Calcata is no ordinary village in the countryside. And by simply visiting it, you will soon realize it’s all too true.
View of old Calcata, Viterbo, Italy: Discover Calcata
Words cannot describe the sensations of just walking through the tiny stone streets, idyllic little houses with flower pots and lazy cats around every corner.
Between old workshops and digital culture, Calcata hosts a unique mix of inhabitants and visitors, creating a vibrant community.
There is one particular story that has made Calcata curiously known, especially to the devotional and religious field.
Inclusion is a big part of life in Calcata, encouraged by the town’s many Cultural Societies, promoting events like the Piazza Roma’s Vegetarians’ Association.
Or the many concerts, debates, conferences and art and sculpture classes that are held in a magnificent place called “Granarone”.
Legends, Art, Culture, but what about food? This town is full of surprises, and culinary traditions as well!
Calcata is the perfect location for film making, music videos and literary references, playing host to numerous pop culture moments.
At last, how much time to spend in Calcata? What is there to do afterwards?
Thank You for tuning in! We enjoy sharing stories with you, explaining Italy’s culture in everything there is to see.
you may be interested:
A tour to visit the Monsters Park of Bomarzo, Caprarola another incredible village and finally Calcata. You’ll discover some of the most amazing features and hidden gems. Certainly a day to remember. First stop will be Bomarzo (about a 1 hour drive) were you can visit the “Monster Park”. This garden is an extraordinary sight, because with its strange, disturbing sculptures (taken from Ariosto’s Orlando Furioso) it was created by Vicino Orsini, Duke of Bomarzo, to rival Caprarola and the Villa Lante. You’ll continue to Caprarola where you can visit the famous Palazzo Farnese. Initially intended to be a fortress by Cardinal Alessandro Farnese,its construction started in 1525, and was later transformed by Vignola into a magnificent palace. Antonio Tempesti, Giovanni Il Vecchio, Giovanni Antonio Da Varese, Raffaellino da Reggio, Giacomo Del Duca and Jacopo Bertoia worked to realize this magnificent summer residence. Two bridges connect the palace to the immense Italian Garden and to the park on the back side of the palace. The Summer and Winter gardens encircle the Palace. Fountains, grottos, nymphaea, and numerous statues enrich the way between hedges and large staircases. *Eventually, if the Farnese Palace in Caprarola is closed on the day of your visit, we will substitute it with a visit of the magnificent Orsini-Odescalchi Castle of Bracciano, perched overlooking the shores of the beautiful Bracciano Lake Enjoy lunch in a local restaurant. On the way back to Rome, stop at Calcata. This very old village, once an outstanding center of the Faliscans, is now one of the best kept, picturesque towns in the region.
price from €110.00
+39 06.999.77.65
+39 339.159.25.40
info@discoveryguidedtours.com
8 hours
