The medieval village of Calcata located in the Province of Viterbo in the Italian region Lazio.
It is perhaps the most unusual village in Italy, with its historic center perched on a tuff mountain overlooking the valley of the Treja river.
In the 1930s, the government condemned it for fear that the 50m high cliffs on which it stands would crumble and the entire village was in danger of collapsing. Most of the inhabitants of Calcata moved to the nearby recently built city, Calcata Nuova, leaving the ancient village more or less deserted.
Abandoned since the early 1900s, Calcata in the 1960s was ‘occupied’ by artists, attracted by this village stopped in time.The so-called “artists’ village” was elected in 2015 among “The 20 Most Spectacular Cities in the Rock in Italy” by Skyscanner.
Access : Coordinates: 42.216667, 12.416667 / The village of Calcata Vecchia belongs to the municipality of Calcata, in the province of Viterbo, region Lazio.
Highlights :
- According to legend, a relic remained in the commune: the foreskin of Jesus Christ. On the day of the Circumcision of the Lord, festive processions were held annually, during which the prepuce rushed through the streets. Since 1983, due to the theft of the relic, the tradition was interrupted.
- In front of the historic center of Calcata on a tufaceous plateau is the archaeological area of Narce where you can see the remains of the archaic city, the site is accessible from the path called “Piegaru” from the bottom of the valley where the Treja river and the Rio torrent.
- In September the Patron Saints Cornelio and Cipriano are celebrated (on the 16th) and the Celtic Festival, while in November the Tree Festival at the Treja Park.
- Cited in novels and sets of numerous films and music videos,Sergio Corbucci, who shot many scenes of “La mazzetta”, from 1978, with Nino Manfredi and Ugo Tognazzi, and Andrej Tarkovskij, who in the film Nostalghia dedicated a long scene to Calcata. And again: James Joyce fell in love with it; in 1991 it was mentioned by José Saramago in the novel “The Gospel according to Jesus Christ” and Fabrizio De André in 1980 set the video of “A wrong story” there.
- The authentic beauty of Calcata was awarded in 2018 with the orange flag of the Italian Touring Club, a tourist-environmental quality brand. It was also chosen as the location for the new Peroni Beer commercial.
- Top sights in Calcata :The church of the Most Holy Name of Jesus is located in the old town. Its structure dates back to the fourteenth century / From the town you can access various nature trails, on foot or on horseback, which cross the Valle del Treja Regional Park./ the Baronial Palace, now home to some offices of the Valle del Treja Regional Park.
Go next : Civita Castellana , a city in the north of Lazio in Italy. / Nemi, attractive town with an interesting castle.
