Exploring the Magic of Italy’s Hill Towns: Civita di Bagnoregio
Italy, with all of its history and overall ancient-ness, is not lacking for hill towns. The often breathtaking views of valleys below. The community developed from thousands of years defending their lofted land from enemies near and far. Taking the last few uneven steps to the top of the steep streets in these towns, you feel a sense of accomplishment, often combined with a tightness in your thighs and a shortness of breath.
Civita di Bagnoregio
Civita di Bagnoregio tour
If there were a job devoted to exploring the hill towns of the region, I would apply in a heartbeat. Some are wonderful (Volterra) and some have been completely overtaken by tourists (San Gimignano). Civita di Bagnoregio falls somewhere in between, primarily due to its location not being on the main tourist trail. Overlooking the fact that I’m not sure any Italians actually live there anymore, when we went it wasn’t very crowded and seemed to still maintain a charm that is worth the long climb.
We visited Civita di Bagnoregio in April of 2019, during my first trimester of pregnancy. I was pretty lucky and didn’t have any morning sickness, but I do remember a few times on this Italy trip where I was feeling weak and dizzy climbing through Montepulciano and Volterra. I must have been having a good day, as the walk up the Civita hill was a breeze. We were staying in Orvieto at the time, another hilltown in southern Umbria, and took a COTRAL bus from the center of town, a quick half hour journey.
Civita di Bagnoregio Italy
Civita di Bagnoregio is technically in the Lazio region, known as a dying town due to its dwindled population and the erosion that is threatening the buildings and structure. It could have been due to the time of year, but it wasn’t that crowded when we visited. Like many Italian hill towns, its roots are owed to the Etruscans and later the Romans. In 1965, it became accessible only by the pedestrian bridge and today has only 12 permanent residents. That being said, it doesn’t feel sleepy, as tourists contribute to the economy through the numerous shops and restaurants.
Antica Civitas Civita di Bagnoregio
Lunch Civita di Bagnoregio
After paying the small fee (instituted a few years ago to help with overtourism) and making the trek up the almost 1,000 feet bridge, we began exploring what little there is to explore in the town. We visited the San Donato church and the Antica Civitas, a small museum that explained the history of the Etruscans in the town. We ate a delicious lunch of radicchio cream pasta at La Cantina di Arianna followed by a drink (for Kevin) at a local cafe. He asked the server for a recommendation for a local Lazio wine, which is underrated in my opinion. At this point it was the afternoon, and you could see the crowds starting to head back to their hotels and agriturismi. We relaxed in the late spring sun, thinking about the thousands of years of history and unique landscape that have resulted in this now being one of the most popular day trips for Italian tourists.
Civita Bagnoregio Italy
Civita di Bagnoregio Bridge