Calcata Vecchia

Calcata Vecchia is a small medieval village that stands on a striking tuff promontory within the Valle del Treja Regional Park in Lazio, a few kilometers from Rome. This peculiar village is known for its incredible charm and the special atmosphere you can breathe walking through its narrow streets.

The village, surrounded by a breathtaking natural landscape with dense forests and the Treja River flowing at its feet, seems suspended in time. The fortress on which Calcata sits has been eroded over the millennia by water and weathering, creating a natural fortification that has made the place easily defensible throughout its thousand-year history.

Entrance to the village is through a single arched gateway that opens onto a maze of narrow, winding streets lined with medieval houses built of stone and tufa; also near it are the remains of the Falisco temple of Monte Li Santi. Houses that, in places, give way to cellars and small craft stores; and, along these streets, sudden openings offer spectacular views of the verdant Treja valley.

Prominent among the monuments that define Calcata's identity is the Church of the Holy Name of Jesus, lying in the main square, built around 1300 by the Anguillara family and later renovated by the Sinibaldi family in 1793. Modest in size, it consists of a single nave surmounted by a ceiling of exposed beams. Inside one can admire a 16th-century baptismal font and holy water font, flanked by paintings narrating episodes from the life of Christ.

Another important structure is the Baronial Palace, also known as the Anguillara Palace, which dates back to the year 1000 and includes a crenellated tower. It has been the residence of the noble family of the same name for centuries, and before the exodus of Calcata's inhabitants it served important functions for the local community, such as housing the post office and school. After years of neglect, it was restored by architect Paolo Portoghesi and used as the headquarters of the Treja Valley Park Visitor Center.

The hamlet is also shrouded in an extraordinary aura of mystery, linked to the legend of the Holy Foreskin of Jesus. The relic, taken from the Sancta Sanctorum of St. John Lateran during the sacking of 1527, was found three decades later hidden in a cell of the Calcata church. Long an object of veneration and a destination for pilgrims, its existence was later shrouded in silence by the Holy See, which banned its worship in the 20th century. The fate of the Holy Prepuce became even more uncertain in 1983, when it mysteriously disappeared, giving rise to speculation ranging from satanic theft to the Church's occult desires. This relic, at the center of much debate and legend, has been at the heart of a history deeply intertwined with faith and religious controversy, making Calcata a place of centuries-old fascination and intrigue.

Calcata Vecchia is also known for its community of artists, musicians and creative people who, since the 1970s, have found inspiration in the quiet and uniqueness of the place, transforming it into an alternative cultural center and acquiring the nickname "artists' village."

Today Calcata Vecchia is a destination for hikers, tourists and the curious who wish to explore a unique place where history, nature and culture come together in a timeless setting. Definitely worth a visit are the Opera Forest Museum of Art of nature and the Places of S/Culture art breaks on the Ceciuli Trail, or 7 sculptural works in three stones from Lazio permanently installed in 2013.