🌿Arlena di Castro – The Tuscia Village of History, Legends and Rebirths

A Name Steeped in Ancient Origins

Arlena di Castro is not just a village: it is a palimpsest of stories, carved on a tuff plateau and shaped by the hands of Etruscans, Romans, the Farnese family, and resilient peasants.

Its roots lie in the ancient Etruscan settlement of Contenebra, destroyed by the Romans but never truly erased. From its ashes arose two new settlements, Arlena and Civitella di Arlena, which eventually merged into the village we see today.

📜 The first traces

• 823 AD – a parchment mentions donations by Walperto di Rofano to the monks of San Salvatore.

• 1258 – a papal bull by Alexander IV refers to “Arnena.”

The Mystery of the Abandonment

In the 15th century, the villagers suddenly abandoned Arlena and fled to Civitella d’Arlena. Why? No chronicle tells us. War? Plague? Natural disaster? The reason remains an enigma, wrapping Arlena in a shroud of legend.

The Farnese Refoundation

The village was reborn in the 16th century, when Cardinal Alessandro Farnese (nephew of Pope Paul III) invited families from Allerona (near Orvieto), offering them land and privileges.

📌 Tradition holds that the very name Arlena derives from these settlers.

Under the Duchy of Castro

From 1537, Arlena became part of the Duchy of Castro, a Farnese dominion. For over a century it belonged to one of the most powerful feuds of the Papal States, until 1649, when Castro was destroyed and the territory returned to direct papal control.

Monuments and Storytelling Stones

Etruscan Treasures

• Necropolis of Ararella – shaft tombs carved into the tuff.

• The Painted Tomb of La Piantata (4th century BC) – red and black frescoes with shields and the inscription caea: satnas.

Castles and Ruins

• Castelvecchio – medieval ruins, nicknamed since 1630 “Roccaccia di sopra” (“the ugly fortress above”) for its decay.

Churches and Spirituality

• San Giovanni – wooden ceiling and two precious paintings.

• San Rocco – tuff façade and statue of the patron saint.

• Oratory of the Holy Sepulchre – decorated with scenes of the Passion.

• Collegiate Church – the spiritual heart of the village.

Festivals, Legends and Traditions

🎉 Feast of San Rocco (16 August)

• Donkey race between the four districts.

• Historical parade recalling the Duchy of Castro.

• Solemn procession through the streets.

• Fireworks closing the celebration.

🌾 Other traditions:

• Feast of St. John the Baptist (June).

• Holy Week rites and processions.

• Sagra del Lombrichello, a festival celebrating the local handmade pasta.

An Earthquake to Remember

On 6 February 1971, an earthquake (magnitude 5.2) struck Tuscania and Arlena. Tuscania suffered more than 20 victims; Arlena sustained heavy damage.

The Italian government responded with Law 1155/1971, allowing young men from Arlena to replace military service with reconstruction work in their village.

Did You Know…?

• The village rises 260 meters above sea level, on a tuff plateau overlooking valleys and streams.

• Its land produces asparagus and Canino DOP olive oil.

• Its urban layout still bears the 16th-century Farnese imprint.

Arlena Today

Today Arlena di Castro has about 800 inhabitants. A small village, but with an immense history.

Walking through Arlena means travelling through time: from Etruscan necropolises to medieval ruins, from Farnese glory to the wounds of the earthquake.

It is a place where the past is never truly past, but continues to live in its silent streets, summer festivals, and in the proud gaze of its people.

🌟 Travel Tip

Arlena di Castro is ideal for a slow itinerary between Tuscania and Lake Bolsena. Bring comfortable shoes to explore necropolises and ruins, and don’t miss the Feast of San Rocco in August: on that day, more than ever, the village reveals its authentic soul.