Airline passenger news and views

Imagine a place carved in stoned, perched on a green hilltop and populated with artists who left their cities and villages behind to settle there and start anew - oddly enough, in one of Italy's oldest villages. Calcata is exactly that place, located about 40 kilometers north of Rome, in the province of Viterbo.

Everything about this village screams enchantment, from the tiny narrow stoned streets and staircases to the medieval pinkish houses covered with green plants. Standing on a volcanic cliff with amazing rock formations and surrounded with dense vegetation, the sight cannot get more picturesque than that.

The most fascinating aspect however is this medieval village's vibrant life, animated by a population of artists who assembled there in the early 70s from all corners of Italy to craft, paint, sculpt, compose, sing and cook. From art galleries hidden in underground caves to old ladies sitting peacefully outside making necklaces, creativity is everywhere you look.

These creative minds were drawn to the village's charm, which kept coexisting with nature away from modernization's influences. In fact, life there is simple, with no transport, traffic lights, pollution or even ATMs to be found. The village carries some mystic as well. It is said that Jesus Christ's foreskin, the 'Sanctum Sanctorum,' was kept hidden there, making Calcata a holy place of pilgrimage. Pilgrims traveled there for centuries before the relic was stolen in 1983, allegedly by the Vatican. The theft even led to the removal of the 'Day of the Holy Circumcision' from the church's calendar, which had been a holy day until then. The villagers will have lots of stories to satisfy your curiosity on this matter.

The village stands high above the dense valley of the Treja river, where wild pigs are hunted and vegetables and fruits cultivated, altogether making a delectable cuisine. A number of restaurants and cafes will treat you with the freshest meals such as tagliatelle with wild pork ragout or spaghetti with wild mushrooms.

Calcata is truly an Italian melting pot with Italians from everywhere and some non-Italians serenely living there, united by their creativity in this little paradise lost within uncontaminated nature.

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