Le ville sul Tufo

Custodians of a land hidden between travertine, sandstone, and ancient history

The association was founded with a simple yet ambitious mission: to make visible what is currently hidden, giving voice to the villages that live beyond the mountain ridges, protected by crests, forests, and ancient connecting routes.

The symbolic journey begins in Acquasanta Terme, rising toward Centrale, among still-active travertine quarries and ancient signs of human labor. After passing the Church of Sant’Emidio and leaving the old Salaria road, the route descends toward Tallacano, Venamartello, and Agore, opening the door to a world that does not reveal itself all at once but unfolds gradually.

This is where the association steps in.

1. Telling and promoting the hidden villages

Falciano, Collefalciano, Vallefusella, Tallacano, Venamartello, Cocoscia, Valle Saggia, Rocchetta, Poggio Rocchetta, Piandelloro, Agore, Forcella, and the Piana della Forcella: places hidden from sight yet deeply visible to the heart, rich in stories, rural architecture, ancient churches, and fortified dwellings. The association restores their narrative dignity through research, events, digital content, and curated itineraries.

2. Preserving memory and local identity

Every village holds valuable traces of the past. The association collects testimonies, historical documents, photographs, and cultural elements to prevent them from being lost, and through a printed community journal it keeps traditions and local knowledge alive.

3. Designing next-generation trails and itineraries

The villages are connected by ancient routes, many now abandoned. The association works to transform them into a unified cultural and naturalistic trail system, renewing paths, linking them with iconic sites such as Sasso Spaccato, the Grotte del Petriennio, and the ridges of Monte Ceresa, and developing a micro-district of walking routes that finally makes this area accessible and attractive.

4. Supporting reconstruction and repopulation

Many villages are currently semi-abandoned, yet they hold extraordinary potential for revival. The association collaborates with public and private stakeholders to promote new forms of widespread hospitality, attract investors and residents, and foster cultural and micro-economic initiatives.