Sant'Angelo di Roccalvecce, the fairytale village

The murals of Sant'Angelo di Roccalvecce

In December 2016, he founded the cultural association ACAS and, in the following year, a team of street artist almost exclusively female, began to color the village, a fraction of the Municipality of Viterbo, in Lazio, with the first murals.

The book of fairy tales was opened by “Alice in Wonderland" by Lewis Carroll. Created by Tina Loiodice (artistic director of the project), the mural is located in the main square of Sant'Angelo di Roccalvecce and its clock reads 11:27, referring to the day of its inauguration, November 27, 2017. Along with Alice, there are also the characters and elements that characterize her adventures: the cards, the clock, and the elusive White Rabbit, always in a hurry. The mural also depicts the children of Sant'Angelo di Roccalvecce, intent on uncovering the canvas that reveals the mural.

Alice's mural was followed by many others, created by Daniela Lai, Stefania Capati, Cecilia Tacconi, Lidia Scalzo, Isabella Modanese, and Gabriel Decarli. Wonder lurks around every corner of Sant'Angelo di Roccalvecce: there's Il Little Prince by Antoine de Saint-Exupéry, Pinocchio, Don Quixote, The Little Match Girl by the Danish writer Hans Christian Andersen. Walking through the village, children are enchanted by Peter Pan and Tinker Bell, Aladdin, Ali Baba and the Forty Thieves and the adventures of Hansel e Gretel. And there is also the mural dedicated to the Sword in the Stone, Chocolate Factory and Jungle BookEach artist has chosen, interpreted, and created their own fairy tale, always keeping in mind the reference to the cultural roots of the territory.

In total, there are 22 murals of the fairy tales that decorate the village. Four are currently under construction: Thumbelina, The Sleeping Beauty, The Legend of Santa Claus, The Children and the Trolls.

The rebirth of Sant'Angelo di Roccalvecce

An important project realized thanks to theSelf-financing and to the availability of the inhabitants of Sant'Angelo di Roccalvecce and the artists involved (private help, donations), with the exception of Il volo di Civita, funded by the Municipality of Bagnoregio.

The association's goal was to revitalize the village with a zero-impact project. "Regenerate" was the key word that guided the rebirth of Sant'Angelo di Roccalvecce: no new construction was planned, but everything was restored and embellished with full respect for the landscape, the environment, and local traditions. In addition to murals, the village was also decorated with a bas-relief, a mosaic, a Marian shrine, a fountain, a wrought-iron planter, a painted ceramic, and a carved epigraph.

The redevelopment of Montesecco

The creation of the murals also allowed the redevelopment of the Montesecco area, the entrance to the village. Visitors arriving in Sant'Angelo di Roccalvecce immediately find themselves immersed in a fantastical, fairytale-like space, complete with a children's play area, benches, and tables where they can relax before or after visiting the village.

Many initiatives that, day after day, they revived the local economy leading to the opening of two B&Bs, a bar, and a grocery store, and the revitalization of local artisan workshops. It's also an excellent opportunity to avoid wasting old jobs today forgotten such as the working of peperino and basalt, marble engravings, cabinet making, metalwork and ceramics.

The path of castles and fairy tales

Not to mention that Sant'Angelo di Roccalvecce is immersed in the Valley of the Badlands, in an area characterised by vineyards, orchards, pastures and olive groves, dotted with nature trails with breathtaking scenery and small villages of incredible charm. This enormous wealth has allowed Sant'Angelo to plan two additional projects: "The path of Castles and Fairy Tales”, an itinerary that connects the Municipality to Roccalvecce and Celleno, the latter perched on a tuff spur and known as the “ghost village”, and the new path that starts from Via Graffignano to Sant'Angelo and arrives at the municipality of Graffignano. A few kilometers away is Civita di Bagnoregio, known as “the dying city”.

(In the picture: Celleno, the ghost town)

A little miracle what happened in Sant'Angelo di RoccalvecceNo more empty, abandoned houses and closed shops, but rather countless tourists and, above all, many children whose cheerfulness makes the village a truly special place.

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