Farewell to Indiana Jones of Civitella Cesi

The  tiny  hilltop hamlet of Civitella Cesi lies at the  end of a long, winding road through the  Etruscan countryside near Blera. 

entrance to Civitella Cesi 

It   is  a place  where time has literally stood still, an icon of  agrarian Lazio where  the ancient  country ways are  very much alive. 

book for  signatures  

We  had come back to Civitella  after many years   for  the funeral of a special person, Angelo Bartoli, creator of the experimental archeological center Antiquitates .

 entrance  to the tiny church

 The Center, created by Angelo many decades ago,  is  known worldwide for its  archeology courses, conferences, and summer programs for  students that combine sports with hands-on workshops.

funeral announcement 

The tiny piazza was overflowing with people come to pay their respects to  the area’s most important citizen. The men stood on one side, the women on the other, moving  with the sun and trying to  escape the chilly wind blowing up from the valley. 

Civitella's men  paying  respects  to Angelo

The derelict  Torlonia palace/castle at the far end of the piazza  was a sorry sight, with its   broken windows and overgrown  moat.

Torlonia palazzo 

main  street, Civitella 

following the sun 

The village’s single street  populated with cats and  curtained  doorways with  Vendesi  signs  attached.

  Once a year  this street is  the venue for  a popular  festa  dedicated  to fettuccine  al tartufo. It is hard to believe  that 10,000 people  made their way to Civitella  for this gastronomic festival   last August. 

 in  respect  the casket is carried through the town 

 Angelo was remembered  by colleagues  and friends during  a conference  in Vetralla’s library yesterday where we viewed  a TV film   entitled “In the footsteps of the Etruscans”  where he was  described  as  the “Indiana Jones of Civitella Cesi”.

Best Mid-summer Festivals in Tuscia

fields of sunflowers  near  Agriturismo Il Poggio, Vetralla

 The towns and villages in the Tuscia Viterbese just north of Rome are   perfect  for  laid back  vacations since  the area abounds with  luxuriant hills and forests and  there are cool  volcanic lakes and sandy  beaches close at hand. 

ceramics of Mara Santoni, Bolsena 

No matter where you are vacationing  in the Viterbo province a  plethora of festivals featuring artisans, free concerts,  food based  sagras and festivals with  music and dancing can be found within  the radius of  15-20 kilometres . 

 exported to Paris and  China  

It is impossible to mention all of them  so here are a few of my personal favorites discovered  over the  past  20 years. Please let us know which is  your  favorite  festival  by leaving  a comment below.

artisans' fair, Bolsena 

A complete list  can be found on the  Province’s website  while  indepth historical and travel articles in English can be found on my website (updated weekly) and in  our  books  which can be purchased directly or at  local bookshops. 

open air dining, Bolsena 

The long awaited   publication about the area in Italian  will be published  in November… per I miei lettori italiani,  a novembre  sarà  pubblicato  il mio libro  in italiano sulla zona .

basket maker, Bolsena 

terracotta  from CastelViscardo 

....even ostrich eggs 

Bolsena played host to an artisans and books fair  a few weeks ago where  a wide range of   local products were exhibited and sold including  pottery, olive oil,  terracotta floor tiles  and even ostrich eggs .  

Civitella Cesi's  fettuccine al tartufo 

Last weekend the tiny hamlet of  Civitella Cesi hosted  thousands of  diners who were served  fettuccini and other dishes flavored with truffles. 

Next Saturday (August 24)   the  town of  Vallerano  will be brightened for La Notte delleCandele   when  50,000 candles will glow and music and shows  will be performed  in  15 different piazzas around town.  

historic center  of Vallerano lights up 

Fireworks  expert Emidio told us that the  best (and most expensive) fireworks display  is that held in Vallerano  for the  festival of  San Vittore,   but those  put on by many of the  other towns in the province are also  pretty spectacular.

Another special festival has been brought to my attention by a reader in Orte: its  a good one, not to be missed...

 green  canopy of trees in  Villa Comunale, Vetralla  

Feel  like just  relaxing?  Don't miss out  on  local band concerts which are held in most towns as part of the Ferragosto festivities. 

 practicing  with the band

Vetralla's excellent band, founded over 100 years ago,  will be performing again  in Montefiascone  on  Tuesday, August 20th.

Villa Comunale was once the  private park of sculptor Pietro Canonica 

 When  its  very hot and humid, do as the local families do and take an evening stroll (passeggiata)  in the town park.

original  19th century  water fountain 

 Here in Vetralla it’s the Villa Comunale where people of all ages  come to stroll and enjoy  the cool evening breezes .   What is your favorite  public park?

lonely swan, Vetralla's Villa Comunale