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TRAVELLER
PROPERTY
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ROME
PAOLO PORTOGHESI
knows beauty when he sees it.
One of Italy’s leading architects and former president
of the architectural section of the Venice Biennale, he
has designed many incredible buildings during an
impressive career. It’s telling then, that this man who
has spent his life studying great architecture has chosen
to live, not in a grand palazzo in the heart of Rome, but
on a simple hillside in the country, an hour’s drive north
of the Italian capital.
Yet, looking out at this view, it’s easy to see why. From
the balcony of his living room, the 80-year-old has the
perfect prospect over the tiny village of Calcata – one
of the jewels of the Lazio region. From here, the place
locals call
il borgo
(the village) looks like a tiny medieval
island adrift on a wooded sea, the flutter of pigeon
wings above its rooftops reminiscent of confetti or the
contents of a snow globe.
It’s all very picturesque, but Calcata is also home to
something else: a unique way of life. Over the past 40
years, artists of all disciplines, abilities and nationalities
have gravitated here and many have chosen to stay.
Some, including Portoghesi, are big names – like
S A R A H W A R W I C K
JUST NORTH OF ROME, THE
HILLTOP VILLAGE OF CALCATA
HAS BEEN HOME TO A UNIQUE
CULTURAL COMMUNITY FOR THE
PAST 40 YEARS. AND GUESS
WHAT? THEY LIVE IN CAVES...
Artists’
Retreat
Near right,
a
paintbox
belonging to
SimonaWeller,
one of Calcata’s
resident artists;
main picture,
Calcata, as seen
from the hill
where architect
Paolo Portoghesi
has his house
L O R E N Z O P E S C E