Romantic Excursions: a day visiting the charming medieval village of Calcata
When two people are in love, it is often said their heart is immersed in sugar ... so what's better than taking a romantic excursion? A day visiting the charming medieval village of Calcata will be the arrow shot in your hearts of lovers.
The picturesque medieval village of Calcata is perched on a rocky outcrop overlooking a wooded valley about fifty kilometres north of Rome. Renovated by artists, the small medieval settlement is a modest attraction offering a taste of an alternative Italy: an interesting unordinary destination for a romantic day trip, a show to visit and enjoy yourself with your partner to experience a magic moment made of love and artistic beauty in the suggestive countryside of Lazio.
Calcata: the heart of the medieval villages beauty in Lazio
Calcata actually seems to be a typical Italian village, a simple hill town, however it hides a unique atmosphere and it is one of the most stunning romantic places in the world. There are many similar medieval villages and towns in rural Italy, many of them located in the Lazio region right, around Rome deserving to be visited, but Calcata is really special.
Built on the Lazio cliffs for defense during the turbulent period of the Middle Ages, this settlement began its decline and lost its population during the twentieth century. Calcata is narrow, decrepit, impoverished, often affected by erosion, bad communications and general discomfort, could not compete with the opportunities offered by modern Italian cities, if not for its incredible panorama over the Lazio countryside and the incredible tranquility only the medieval villages are able to offer. Visiting these sleepy places is a suggestive experience, a journey back in time to be enjoyed with romance and intimacy together with your partner.
If you are choosing a forgotten village to visit, where to spend a day and a night of love and romantic passion, Calcata has a lot to offer to visitors with their heart full of sugar. In the 1930s, Calcata Vecchia was abandoned for security reasons; there were well-founded fears of crags crumbling underfoot.
Calcata: the romantic village rediscovered by artists
Calcata Nuova was built on a plateau nearby, but a few decades later, the old settlement was rediscovered by a new type of inhabitants. Artists and creatives from Italy and abroad began to build their residences in historical buildings, restoring the ruins and bringing the ancient village back to life as a sort of bohemian idyll.
Today, the village still preserves the sleepy atmosphere of an abandoned village. But while some buildings are still minimal, others host flower vases framing the alleys, with houses and spaces that remember ancient times never identified, but very suggestive. Couples will discover the small studios of artists, cafes and restaurants, unpretentious but very welcoming and typical, where to live their romantic day.
Calcata is not exactly an elegant tourist attraction, but it is such a fascinating and mystical place, playing romance in all its alleys. If you visit Calcata during the week, the atmosphere is even more intimate, you will find the cute cats dozing and the empty alleys always awaiting new visitors. On festivities and weekends, doors and windows are open, and you will find numerous galleries to visit, bars where to drink homemade coffee and restaurants where to enjoy typical food. This destination offers a good balance between authenticity, friendliness and romance, great for both couples and families, but also for those who want to discover new worlds of old villages. 
New worlds of old villages on a romantic day: what to see in Calcata?
Calcata is located within the Valle del Treja Regional Park, on the predominantly woodland area around the village and the nearby Mazzano Romano. The park includes ancient archaeological sites and nature trails and it hosts occasional events, where you can spend a romantic day together with your partner. The village is built inside the rocks and walking around its streets makes easy to imagine the village's past as a walled citadel. Via della Vecchia Calcata leads through a stone door and a narrow, never linear passage leading to the main square, where you can admire the Baronial Palace on the right, housing the Park information office; it is the most important building in the city.
Outside, there are three stone thrones sculpted by Costantino Morosin, standing as an announcement of the extraordinary beauty of Calcata. Nearby, there is the small church of Calcata (it used to house the sacred relic of the foreskin of Jesus, now mysteriously disappeared). Not far away, there is a small museum of ancient rural life in the village (also open on holidays and on request). Numerous alleys lead to panoramic points on the edge of the cliffs, looking over the woods and the strange ruins you can admire the infinite horizon of the countryside, perhaps at sunset embraced together with your partner. Some houses of Calcata are built right into the rock, and make cave dwellings of incredible beauty.
Another pleasant walk leads uphill to the modern village and offers a pleasant way to get a taste of the countryside. Head upwards through the old farmhouses on the opposite slope and walk around the picturesque old buildings. Between a panorama and messages of love, you can enjoy the viewpoints on Calcata and the ancient caves carved into the rock. Discovering the rural landscape you can spend a romantic day together with the love of your life and take numerous photos to have unique memories of a place forgotten by time, but that once visited, you can remember forever.
