A Tiny Village Frozen in Time

No touristy shops or multiple gelaterie, just a tiny village stuck in the Middle Ages with one church, several places to eat and surprises around every corner. It is awesome! Less than two hours drive from Rome, Civita di Bagnoregio is located in a vast canyon atop a pinnacle ruled by wind and erosion. Officially recognised as “Borgho piu bello d’Italia”, one of Italy’s most beautiful towns, this is a place that will amaze you.

The village of tiny streets sitting in the clouds accessible by a narrow concrete footbridge, is home to around twelve locals all year round and twenty cats. There is one main street, one piazza, two bars, several restaurants and a few shops. Nicknamed “the dying town” due to erosion of its soft limestone base and the forces of nature, Civita di Bagnoregio has battled survival since the 17th century.

Originally a centre along ancient trade routes, the town was prosperous from Roman times through the late Middle Ages, but after a devastating earthquake in 1695, most residents fled for lower ground, and so began a long decline. The footbridge was partially blown up by the Germans in World War II and by the end of the war, nearly all of the inhabitants had left in search of work. A new bridge was built in the 1960s, but people were living in extreme poverty and the council ordered them out. By the 1990s the village was practically abandoned.

Landslides in 2014 and 2015 saw some of the town’s medieval properties plummet into the ravine when sides of the volcanic outcrop gave way. The disaster encouraged a group of Italy’s cultural heavyweights to back a petition calling for Civita di Bagnoregio to be given world heritage status by UNESCO. This cultural and historical gem is now “the village that wants to live”.

It was the first town in Italy to charge an entrance fee. Mayor, Francesco Bigiotti, rushed in where other mayors fear to tread. Anyone wanting to cross the footbridge to visit his medieval village must pay! This did not discourage people at all. In fact, it has made the town more precious and tourists stay longer and are more respectful.

One local, Maurizio Rocchi, whose family worked the land around Civita di Bagnoregio since the 16th century, is delighted by the change. The arrival of tourism has meant that his family can return to the village and he has a thriving business with a restaurant inside a cave.

Once across the footbridge, the only entrance is through the 2,500 year old Etruscan gate of Santa Maria. To the left of the gate there are the ruins of the Palazzo Janni where all that remains is a wall and window looking into thin air. Once upon a time an ancient and illustrious family resided there.

Walking along the one main street, there are narrow short cobbled streets running off it, tufa stone houses and buildings, stone stairways and flower filled balconies all enticing you to explore. In Piazza San Donato there is the Museum of Geology and Landslides which opened in 2012. The museum focuses on the true essence, the millenia long history, the geological structure and the future prospects of Civita di Bagnoregio.

A donkey race

On the first Sunday of June and the second Sunday of September, the little town hosts “Palio della Tonna”, an old race with donkeys competing in the piazza. Similar to Siena’s Palio, the jockeys ride bareback three times around the square. There are twelve donkeys competing, but only two can race at a time because the course is so narrow. In reality it could be over in mere seconds, but donkeys rule. They can stop, graze, kick . . . do whatever they want really.

The Swiss-cheese ground beneath Civita di Bagnoregio is honey-combed with ancient cellars, perfect for storing wine, and cisterns for collecting water. During World War II, a pre-Roman tunnel below the town doubled as a bomb shelter.

Despite the ravages of time, Civita di Bagnoregio does not feel like a ghost town, but a town struggling to keep alive and intact the precious reminders of the past whilst looking to the future with authentic, innovative restaurants, intimate places to stay, a handful of gorgeous artisan shops and a rustic charm that is so Italian.

A visit to this little gem has long been a part of the Ciao Italy Tuscany tour, but one day I want to see the sunset over the extraordinary deep valleys of the calanchi, also known as the Badlands, have dinner in the restaurant that always has a roaring fire, no matter the time of year, sit on the steps in the piazza when the daytrippers have long gone and sleep in one of the B&B’s in this village frozen in time.

Ci vediamo la prossima settimana.

Deb