A village where houses tell fairy tales: 50+ murals with Alice, the Little Prince and the Grimms, free and always open. What to see and how to get there from Rome.
There is a village in the hills of the Teverina where you stroll through the pages of a picture book. It is Sant'Angelo di Roccalvecce, a hamlet of Viterbo that everyone now calls the Fairy Tale Village: Alice, Cinderella, the Little Prince and dozens of other characters live on the façades of its houses, painted on murals that turned a dying village into one of the most surprising places in Tuscia. For families it is the ideal day trip: outdoors, no ticket, made for children.
The story: a village saved by fairy tales
At the end of 2016 Sant'Angelo was a village like many in inland Italy: the young gone, the houses empty. A group of residents led by Gianluca Chiovelli founded the cultural association ACAS with an idea as simple as it was visionary: hand the village walls over to street art and fairy tales. The first mural — the Alice in Wonderland that is still the most photographed today — was unveiled on 27 November 2017: the painted clock reads 11:27 precisely in memory of that date. The project has never stopped since: today there are more than fifty works, between murals, installations and mosaics, and the numbering keeps climbing — Don Quixote, one of the most recent, is number 58.
What you will see
You explore on foot, following the signs, through alleys and stairways: every corner hides a fairy tale. There are the classics of Andersen — the Steadfast Tin Soldier, the Ugly Duckling, the Little Match Girl — and those of the Brothers Grimm, from Cinderella to Hansel and Gretel to the Town Musicians of Bremen. Then there is the Little Prince, Pinocchio — one of his murals is inside a village shop —, Pocahontas, and a Don Quixote who, instead of windmills, takes on a huge tongue of fire. The whole is an open-air museum, free and always open, where children run from one character to the next and adults rediscover the stories they grew up with.
The mural map
As soon as you reach the centre, pick up the map of the trail: the village shops and cafés hand it out. It really helps. The works are scattered across alleys, courtyards and stairways, and without a map you always miss a few. Children love ticking them off one by one, like a treasure hunt.
Where to stay
Villa Vacanze Valentina is in Bassano in Teverina, in the green heart of Tuscia: two apartments in the villa and a cottage for two.
Practical tips
Park at the entrance to the village: there is a free car park about 800 metres from the historic centre, and with a little luck a few spaces right by the first murals. Wear comfortable shoes: the village is all climbs and stairways. Allow a good hour for the full loop; with children, photos and a snack, make it two.
With a pushchair you can get round, but not everywhere: between steps and uneven paving, a baby carrier makes life easier for the little ones. Light matters: the colours look their best on a clear day, and in summer it is worth avoiding the middle of the day and going in the late afternoon. If you want more, the village also offers a paid virtual and augmented reality experience devoted to the fairy tales: details are on the official Paese delle Fiabe website. The walk among the murals stays free.
Useful information — verified September 2026
- Where: Sant'Angelo di Roccalvecce, a hamlet of Viterbo, north of the city — under 30 km from Villa Vacanze Valentina, between half an hour and forty minutes by car.
- From Rome: about 100 km, an hour and a half by car on the A1 to Orte.
- Cost: nothing — it is an open-air village, always open to visitors.
- Duration: a good hour for the mural loop, two at a relaxed pace with children.
- Parking: free at the village entrance (~800 m from the centre), or in the central car park by the first murals.
- The works: more than 50 murals, installations and mosaics; the first (Alice) dates from 27 November 2017. The map is available in the village shops.
Pair it with: the ghost village and the Park of Monsters
A few minutes from Sant'Angelo lies Celleno, the ghost village: two neighbouring villages and two opposite fates — one abandoned and frozen in time, the other saved by colour. Seen in the same afternoon, they tell the story of Tuscia better than any guidebook. And if the children still want more wonders, the next day there is the Park of Monsters in Bomarzo, ten minutes from the villa. More ideas in our guide to a family holiday in Tuscia.
Where to stay for the Fairy Tale Village
Villa Vacanze Valentina is in Bassano in Teverina, an hour from Rome and a good half hour from Sant'Angelo: the right base to combine fairy tales, ghost villages and — on your return — the pool in the silence of the countryside, all in a single day. Discover the family holiday home with pool or write to us on WhatsApp. And if you plan to stay more than one night, here is where to stay near Bomarzo.
Photo: Albarubescens, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons.
