Calcata is a small hill town in the province of Viterbo. It is located at the eastern tip of the Regional Natural Park Valle del Treja. Nowadays, the town, which is only 40 kilometres from Rome, enjoys great fame as a kind of artists’ and hippies’ colony.
Calcata city guide
Tourist information
The town hall is located in Piazza Risorgimento, 1 – 01030 Calcata (tel. +39 0761587021). The ZIP code of Calcata is 01030 and the area code is 0761.
By car/public transportation to Calcata
By car from Rome: Follow the SS2bis until the exit for Mazzano Romano and then follow the directions for Calcata. Alternatively, follow the Via Flaminia until Rignano Flaminio and then take the road to Faleria – Calcata.
By car from Viterbo: Take the SS2 (Via Cassia) to the exit Mazzano Romano – Trevignano and then follow the directions to Calcata.
Public transport from Rome: There are direct Cotral buses from Saxa Rubra (reachable from Flaminio metro station with the Roma Nord line).
Public transport from Viterbo: No direct, or otherwise easy, connection.
A brief history of Calcata
The hilltop was already inhabited in prehistoric times and finds in the area around the city show that the Etruscans also had settlements here. The name of the town itself does not appear until the 8th century, in a document from the time of Pope Adrian I. For a long time the town was subject to the feudal lords of the Anguillara family.
What to see in Calcata
Many of the sights around the town are remnants of the period when the Anguillara family ruled the region. These include the Castello Baronale (13th century) and the ancient city walls. The most important churches are the Santissimo Nome di Gesù Church and the modern Chiesa Collegiata dei Santi Corenlio e Cipriano. The San Giovanni Decollato Church has been converted and is now the seat of the Museum of Agricultural Art. In the Valle del Treja Natural Park there is a museum dedicated to works of art made with natural materials found in the forest (Museo d’Arte nella Natura).