For families planning a trip to Italy, the typical itinerary often includes Rome, Florence, and Venice. But a new children's book is encouraging families to venture beyond the well-trodden path and discover a hidden medieval village in the Lazio region. “Simonetta, Ruggero and the Cherry Forest of Celleno,” written by Giulio Gargiullo, blends a fairy tale with real-world travel inspiration, offering a unique way to introduce children to the small hilltop town of Celleno, located about 90 minutes from Rome.
The story follows the adventures of Simonetta and Ruggero in a cherry forest, but as readers reach the final pages, they learn that Celleno is not just a fictional setting—it is a real place. A QR code in the book connects readers directly to aerial drone footage of the village, allowing children to see the castle, landscape, and historic quarter before they visit in person. This innovative approach turns sightseeing into a story-driven experience, where children first explore the village through the book and then discover that the places they have read about actually exist.
Celleno is a prime example of an off-the-beaten-path destination in Italy. Its abandoned historic quarter, known as “Il Borgo Fantasma” (the Ghost Village), has been featured by The Telegraph as one of Italy's ghost towns, described as “frozen in time.” The village is dominated by the Orsini Castle, which overlooks the town, and its history dates back to Etruscan times, with archaeological evidence of settlement from around the 7th century BC. The area later came under Roman control in the 3rd century BC.
The book has received the official patronage of the Municipality of Celleno, and the author, Giulio Gargiullo, was named an honorary citizen in 2024 for his efforts to promote the village internationally. Gargiullo, who has family ties to Celleno through his maternal grandfather, explained, “I wanted children to enter Celleno through imagination and then discover that the place they have been dreaming about actually exists. 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.”
The book also includes an educational component, introducing “Little Guardians of Nature” on its final pages, encouraging children to take simple actions like leaving water for birds, caring for a plant, and picking up litter. This combination of children's literature, family travel, local history, nature, and digital technology provides parents with a tool to engage their children with a destination before arriving in Italy—or to 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 both English and Italian editions, in print and Kindle formats. The book offers a fresh way to explore Italy's lesser-known treasures, making it an ideal addition to any family's travel preparation.
