Calcata is a village that dominates the valley of the Treja river from above. Small dimensions for this inhabited center in the province of Viterbo. It boasts an ancient history and has managed to protect its historical and natural heritage over the centuries. Is found 40 km from Rome but it is perched on a tuff mountain. There is only one way to enter it, through the single door that opens into the walls.
Calcata: history
According to the legends, in 1527 a lansquenet was captured in Calcata. He had taken part in the sack of Rome, plundering the Sancta sanctorum of San Giovanni in Laterano. After being imprisoned in the small town, he would hide the reliquary in his cell. A treasure discovered in 1557. Since then the church gave way to the veneration of the relic, granting all pilgrims an indulgence of ten years.
In the 70s the scene of the destroyed village in the famous film was shot here Friends my. It was 1975 and three years later the troupe of Sergio Corbucci's La mazzetta arrived there. These are not the latest films that see scenes shot here. In 1997 it was Luca Barbareschi's turn to Ardena. In 1980, instead, the video of the song A wrong story was shot, by the singer-songwriter Fabrizio De André.
To further emphasize the notoriety of the village, its name is mentioned in James Joyce's Ulysses, as well as in the novel The Gospel according to Jesus Christ and in A crime in a workmanlike manner. Several artists live here, from the painter Simona Weller to the sculptor Costantino Morosin.
Get inspired
Access to Calcata passes through a single door between the fortifications. From here we arrive at a picturesque square adorned with three tuff “thrones”. In this area overlook the Anquillara Castle, characterized by its Ghibelline tower, and the seventeenth century Church of SS. Name of Jesus. These are the only true monuments in the village. From this point on, numerous alleys wind their way, all leading to the precipice that almost entirely surrounds Calcata. This makes it one of the best examples of a naturally fortified country.
The houses are modest, but they often boast ancient portals. They are generally covered with red, green and yellow lichens. These alternate with cellars and caves, often used as workshops or artisan and artistic workshops.
Near the village, in the locality of Colle, there is the Opera Bosco Museum. Opened in 1996, it offers the public a wide itinerary of almost two hectares of wood. Among the vegetation there are fifty works made of natural materials. These reproduce various subjects, in a general union between art and nature.
A precious territory, marked by River Three, partially protected for more than twenty years by the Valle del Treja Regional Park. All to protect a unique environment in Italy, both for the landscape guaranteed to visitors and for the naturalistic value.
