Castelvecchio Calvisio – a Silent Village in the Mountains

George Clooney walked the streets of this medieval village… But no, that wasn’t why I came to Castelvecchio Calvisio, Abruzzo. I am just a sucker for old abandoned villages that are off -the-beaten path. And Castelvecchio Calvisio is exactly like that. In a document dating back to 779 AD historians found a mention of a castle that was supposedly the foundation of the fortified village. However, some researchers believe that there were people living here in the days of Roman Empire. In the course of history Castelvecchio Calvisio was part of fiefdom of many famous noble families including Colonna, Piccolomini, Medici, Borbone.

The village has always remained small. At the start of the 19th century 552 people (and 1503 goats and sheep!) lived here. A few years ago the population of Castelvecchio Calvisio was less than 200. When I visited, there were only three people in sight. An old woman with a kind wrinkly face was putting twigs together in little neat bunches on the porch of her house. She said that only three families live in the village now, all outside of the medieval part. The earthquake of 2009 damaged the ancient stone buildings and drove everyone out of their homes.

When I stepped onto the streets of the old part of Castelvecchio Calvisio the silence was deafening. Some of the arches were supported by the elaborate metal structures to stop them from collapsing; a few little side streets were closed because of the crumbling houses. But despite these modern scars and interventions the village still kept the atmosphere of the days gone by. The layout of Castelvecchio Calvisio was done to imitate that of ancient Jerusalem with added unique local features. I admired the little arches connecting the buildings and vertiginous external steps that are typical for the village. In the medieval times the ground floor rooms served as artisan workshops and showrooms. Many centuries ago it was a thriving saffron cultivation area. There are still visible carved saffron flowers on some building.

In 2010 “The American” was filmed here. George Clooney played an assassin who moved here to sit out some trouble and prepare for his next hit. I could imagine the film crew working away without being troubled by the nosy locals, noisy dogs and curious kids. Only the gloomy ancient houses towered over them keeping centuries-old secrets and waiting for life to return to the streets…