ROME — A newly released children's book is offering families planning to travel to Italy a unique way to discover one of the country's lesser-known medieval villages. "Simonetta, Ruggero and the Cherry Forest of Celleno" by Giulio Gargiullo blends a fairy tale with the real hilltop village of Celleno, located in the Lazio region about 90 minutes from Rome.
The book begins as a fictional adventure but ends with a surprise: Celleno is real, and families can visit the places that inspired the story. On the final pages, a QR code links readers to aerial drone footage of the actual village, allowing children to see its castle, landscape, and historic quarter before experiencing them in person. This concept turns sightseeing into part of the story, as children first explore the village through the characters' adventure and then discover that the castle, medieval streets, and countryside they read about actually exist.
Celleno is an off-the-beaten-path destination in northern Lazio, in the province of Viterbo, making it an ideal day 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), and it was previously included by The Telegraph among 25 Italian ghost towns described as frozen in time.
Much of the story is inspired by Celleno's real history and landscape. Orsini Castle still overlooks the village; before the Orsini family took ownership, it belonged to the Gatti, a noble family from nearby Viterbo that controlled the town for over a century. The heroine Simonetta 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," said Gargiullo. "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 for his efforts to promote the village internationally.
The book also serves an educational purpose. Its final pages introduce "Little Guardians of Nature," encouraging children to take simple actions like leaving water for birds, caring for a plant, and picking up litter. The combination of children's literature, family travel, local history, nature, and digital technology provides parents with a way to introduce children to a destination before arriving in Italy — or inspire a future visit after reading the story.
For parents seeking 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.
Celleno is a medieval hill town surrounded by the countryside of Tuscia, within easy reach of Viterbo and Orvieto. Its atmospheric abandoned historic quarter offers travelers an alternative to Italy's most famous destinations. The area's history goes back to Etruscan times, with archaeological evidence of settlement from around the 7th century BC, and Rome took control in the 3rd century BC.
Giulio Gargiullo, born and raised in Rome, has family ties to Celleno through his maternal grandfather. He works in communication and digital marketing and has spent part of his career helping Italian destinations reach international audiences. His recent work has focused on promoting Celleno and other lesser-known Italian destinations through storytelling, international media relations, digital content, drone footage, and new technology. In 2024, the Municipality of Celleno named him an honorary citizen.
