ROME, ITALY — Families planning to travel to Italy and looking beyond Rome, Florence, and Venice now have an unusual new way to discover one of the country's lesser-known medieval villages. A newly released children's book connects a fictional adventure with the real Italian village of Celleno, a hilltop destination in Lazio about 90 minutes from Rome.
Giulio Gargiullo's illustrated book, "Simonetta, Ruggero and the Cherry Forest of Celleno," begins as a fairy tale but ends with a surprise for young readers: Celleno is real — and families can visit the places that inspired the story. On the final pages, a QR code takes readers from the illustrated world directly to aerial drone footage of the real village, allowing children to see Celleno's castle, landscape, and historic quarter before discovering them in person.
For parents traveling in Italy with children, the concept turns sightseeing into part of the story. Children first explore the village through Simonetta and Ruggero's adventure and then discover that the castle, medieval streets, and countryside they have been reading about actually exist.
Celleno lies in northern Lazio, in the province of Viterbo, making it an off-the-beaten-path trip from Rome for families interested in medieval villages, nature, and lesser-known places in Italy. Its abandoned historic quarter is known as "Il Borgo Fantasma" — the Ghost Village of Celleno. The village was previously included by The Telegraph among 25 Italian ghost towns and places described as frozen in time.
Much of what children encounter in the story is inspired by the real history and landscape of Celleno. Orsini Castle still overlooks the village. Before the Orsini family took ownership, Celleno belonged to the Gatti, a noble family based in nearby Viterbo that controlled the town for more than a century. Simonetta, the story's young heroine, is loosely inspired by a woman from the same family line. The book has received the official patronage of the Municipality of Celleno.
"I wanted children to enter Celleno through imagination and then discover that the place they have been dreaming about actually exists," Gargiullo said. "If a family reading the story decides to leave the usual tourist route for a day and discover the village together, the fairy tale has completed its journey." Gargiullo was named an honorary citizen of Celleno in 2024 in recognition of his efforts to promote the village internationally.
The connection between book and destination is also educational. The final pages introduce "Little Guardians of Nature," encouraging children to take simple actions such as leaving water for birds, caring for a plant, and picking up litter. The result combines children's literature, family travel, local history, nature, and digital technology, giving parents a way to introduce children to a destination before arriving in Italy — or inspire a future visit after reading the story.
For parents looking for a children's book about Italy for a family trip, "Simonetta, Ruggero and the Cherry Forest of Celleno" is available worldwide on Amazon in English and Italian editions, in print and Kindle formats.
