Those who go to Rome so concentrate on their monuments and cultural heritage that they no longer have time (or maybe they don't think about it) to go and see its surroundings. And it's really worth it, because they're as interesting as the Eternal City.

A good example is Calcata, a small (really small) village located a few kilometers from Rome and perched above a mountain of tuff from which the green valley of the Teja river dominates. The village is medieval and as such is made up of a maze of alleys, sometimes so narrow that just a person passes there, from the mysterious passages that lead you don't know where, from stairs and ladders, dark arches and other typical medieval elements.

There is only one entrance that leads to the village and all the streets lead to the central square. If you come to Calcata during the week, the country will feel deserted. In fact, the number of permanent inhabitants reaches, yes and no, to 50 — 60 people. The real Calcarese DOC are an endangered species; the original inhabitants of the village have taken over the current ones. Most of them are artists: poets, painters, sculptors, graphic designers, scientists, but also restaurateurs.

The newcomers opened many galleries and exhibition spaces or restaurants or taverns. Do you wonder what they do in this deserted country? Calcata is deserted only in the week, instead during weekends and holidays the assault begins and the streets and alleys are filled with people.

It is the tourists or the Romans who have their second home in this enchanting country. In these days Calcata is rather like Piazza di Spagna or another equally popular place and this is another face of this little pearl at the gates of Rome. .