North of Rome, south of Soriano is Calcata, an ancient hill town perched upon a volcanic cliff, the buildings seamlessly blending with the cliff face. Within the village all the streets are narrow footpaths and cars must park outside the town gate. Condemned as unsafe in the 1930s, Calcata re-emerged as an artist community in the 1960s. In 2007 the New York Times described it as what "may be the grooviest village in Italy, home to a wacky community of about 100..." Overlooking Calcata is the home of Architetto Portoghesi, where we visited him before in 1999. It was so very wonderful to renew our friendship and once again tour Paolo's magnificent house, gardens, mini-zoo and new personal library.
November, 2013