Civita di Bagnoregio

The municipality of Civita di Bagnoregio is actually composed of two separate villages: Bagnoregio on the mainland, and Civita, hanging on the top of a volcanic cliff and reachable only trough a pedestrian stone bridge. Civita, the main attraction, looks like a majestic castle out of a fable, with the houses of its medieval hamlet shyly coming out of the fog in the early morning. While most of what remained today of the village is of medieval origin, this area is inhabited since Etruscan times; it was continuously developed and enriched during the centuries until Renaissance.

In the 17th century a major earthquake forced the population to move away from this unstable block of rock slowly falling apart. During that time parts of the village started to collapse, as demonstrated by the ruins of the facade of the Renaissance palace. There is no guidebook to follow in Civita di Bagnoregio: our advice is to just wander around the small alleys and cobblestone streets and to get lost as much as possible, while discovering unexpected surprises at every corner. Don't worry; there is no serious risk to be lost, given the limited size of the village.
Nature is implacable and you better hurry up before erosion finishes its job and Civita doesn’t exist anymore. Of all the tourist attractions short-listed, Civita di Bagnoregio, being 140 km north of Rome, is the farthest and hardest to reach, since it requires to change transportation. From Rome, after getting by train to Orvieto, Viterbo or Orte, one more time a Cotral buses is needed to reach the destination. Orvieto is an interesting destination by itself, featuring an impressive cathedral on another amazing setting, so it might be a good idea to combine the two destinations together.