Located about 40 minutes by car from our hotel, Calcata is an authentic hidden gem in the Tuscia viterbese. Perched on a high tuff cliff overlooking the Treja River valley, it is considered one of the most significant and best-preserved examples of small fortified medieval settlements. A single walk through its narrow streets is enough to understand why it is known as the “village of artists and witches” — a place where creativity and legend have coexisted for decades, making it one of the most intriguing and evocative destinations to discover in Lazio (and beyond).
Calcata’s origins date back to a very distant past, as testified by the many archaeological finds unearthed in the area. In pre-Roman times, the territory was an outpost of the Faliscan civilization, one of the most fascinating and mysterious peoples of ancient Italy. The first certain records of the present-day village, however, date to the Early Middle Ages. The name Calcata appears for the first time in a document from the late 8th century, when it was annexed by order of Pope Hadrian I to the Domusculta Capracorum, one of the papal estates established to supply Rome. In the centuries that followed, it came under the control of various noble families.
During the 20th century, Calcata’s fate changed dramatically. The historic centre was declared unsafe due to the risk of landslides on the tuff cliff, and starting in the 1960s the residents were relocated to a new settlement nearby, Calcata Nuova. It was precisely then that the medieval village began to be rediscovered by artists, intellectuals, craftspeople and hippies looking for a place far from the rhythm of city life. Their presence brought new vitality to the village and gave it the bohemian spirit that still defines it today.
The village’s remarkably intact appearance has captured the imagination of artists of the calibre of Hayao Miyazaki, who, after visiting in 1990, drew inspiration from it for the architecture of the Ghibli Museum and for the exterior settings of his film “Laputa: Castle in the Sky“. Calcata has also served as a filming location for movies such as “The Decameron” by Pier Paolo Pasolini, “My Friends” (“Amici Miei”) by Mario Monicelli, “The Adventures of Pinocchio” by Luigi Comencini, and, more recently, “All the Money in the World” by Ridley Scott.
To visit Calcata Vecchia, you pass through a partially covered medieval gate, beyond which a defensive walkway carved into the tuff leads, through a second gate, directly into Piazza Umberto I, the heart of the village. Facing the square are the Palazzo Baronale degli Anguillara and the Church of the Santissimo Nome di Gesù. The palazzo, dating back to the 10th century and now home to the Valle del Treja Regional Park offices, dominates the village with its crenellated tower. The church, likely built in the first half of the 13th century, preserves numerous traces of the Anguillara family and several notable artistic features. For centuries it also housed the relic of the Holy Foreskin of Christ, stolen in 1983.
The narrow lanes branching off the square wind between old houses and cellars, now restored and transformed into artisan workshops, ateliers and small spaces dedicated to art and antiques. Wandering through the alleys, visitors can admire striking views over the valley and spot on the house walls ancient windows, doorways and the characteristic medieval “profferli” (external staircases), often altered by later architectural changes. Along the streets of the village, it is not unusual to come across musicians and street performers.
Other places worth seeing in Calcata include: the Museum of Rural Civilization, which houses an extraordinary collection of tools and implements from rural tradition; the Portoghesi-Massobrio Literary Garden, created in 1990; the 15th-century Church of Santa Maria della Cava, in the district known as “I Grotti”; and Opera Bosco – Museum of Art in Nature, a unique open-air contemporary art museum-workshop covering three hectares in the Colle area.
Calcata’s distinctive atmosphere has fuelled countless stories and legends over the years. Its nickname, the “village of witches“, comes mainly from local folklore, according to which, on windy days, an eerie song can be heard drifting through the village’s narrow streets. It is said to be the call of witches who, according to legend, once gathered in the caves and underground passages of the village to perform esoteric rituals.
Calcata is located just over 30 kilometres from Bracciano. Albergo della Posta is an excellent base for exploring the villages of Tuscia. Calcata, with its artistic soul and its legends, is just one of the many treasures within easy reach for a day trip.
