Calcata
The old village survived a state-planned transfer and later revived through artists, writers and craftspeople living in its tufa houses.
Calcata Vecchia, Lazio. OrCer, CC BY-SA 4.0. Cropped for layout.
Why it is worth the drive
During the Fascist period Calcata was classed as a settlement to be rehabilitated under a law written for earthquake-damaged towns. Residents were moved to a new settlement on the plateau in the early 1960s, while the old village faced demolition until a decree in the 1990s finally protected it.
The emptied medieval village then revived through people arriving from Rome, elsewhere in Italy and abroad: artists, writers and craftspeople established homes and studios in the tufa houses. The municipality now counts about seventy stable residents in the old village; many other homes are second houses or short rentals.
Getting there
Rome Fiumicino (FCO) is about seventy kilometres by road. There is no station in Calcata, so public transport requires a rail-and-bus combination and extra time.
The honest part
The headline population covers the whole municipality, not just the old village. The medieval centre draws day visitors from Rome, especially at weekends, and is entered on foot through its compact historic core.
SourcesIstat · Comune di Calcata · Parco Valle del Treja, Regione Lazio5
- Istat · 1 January 2026 (provisional)
Evidence note. The headline figure is the total municipality population, not the population of Calcata Vecchia alone.
- Comune di Calcata · accessed 13 September 2026
Evidence note. The municipality documents the planned transfer, the old village's survival by decree in the 1990s and about seventy stable residents in Calcata Vecchia.
- Parco Valle del Treja, Regione Lazio · accessed 13 September 2026
Evidence note. The regional park records the 1960s transfer, the arrival of artists and craftspeople, and recommends visiting without haste, preferably on weekdays.
- Parco Valle del Treja, Regione Lazio · accessed 13 September 2026
Evidence note. The park describes the old village's Fascist-era demolition risk and its present small resident community.
- Parco Valle del Treja, Regione Lazio · 4 February 2016
Evidence note. The park documents the palace's abandonment after the transfer and its later restoration as the park authority's offices.