Hello everyone, today I would like to tell you about a trip I made a few weeks ago to a town that is, in my opinion, one of the most beautiful in Italy. This small town is called Civita di Bagnoregio, and has also the nickname of: 'the dying city'. This is due to the fact that it is slowly being abandoned by the people who live there and could be declared as uninhabitable in a few years given its geographical and morphological conditions.
Erosion and landslides were the primary causes of the morphology of this area. Two formations that are different in nature and chronology make up the area. The base layer, which is particularly prone to erosion, is made up of the older, clayey material that is of marine origin. On the other hand, lava and tuffaceous material make up the top layers. Rapid erosion is a result of deforestation, weathering, and torrents.
Me and @lezra went to visit this town during a trip we made to central Italy starting in Florence, then moving on to the beautiful town of Montepulciano, sleeping in Assisi and then heading to this little hamlet the next day. One of the peculiarities of the dying city is the fact that it lies within a really big valley and the only thing that stands out is the town itself so coming from the north you can stop and admire the town from the side of the mountain in a town called Lubriano.
The view from the near city of Lubriano
To be able to enter and visit the town you must first of all find a parking space and and then be prepared for an intense walk uphill. There are two main options for parking:
one is to go very early in the morning when the restricted traffic zone is not yet active and park right before the bridge that connects with the town. This of course is the best solution as it reduces the walk to the hamlet by a lot and also allows us to be immediately near the ticket office (which charges you €5 for the visit). If it is not possible for you to get to the town so early, then you should search for a car park between Bagnoregio, the main town, and Civita di Bagnoregio. This was actually what we did as we arrived in town in the late afternoon, so we looked for a parking space as close as possible to the entrance bridge and we were very lucky as we found a space in the closest car park before the ZTL (as soon as we arrived a car drove off leaving us its space).
Should you decide to visit the town at the weekend or at a time when there is a lot of tourist traffic and it is not possible to find parking near the bridge, then the other solution is to leave your car in Bagnoregio in the pay car park in Piazza Battaglini. And from there, take the shuttle bus that for €1 will take you right to the foot of the bridge, or, if you feel like walking, in 30 minutes you will reach your destination.
The closest parking to the city (but also in a ZTL area)
Once we arrived at the foot of the village, we began the ascent towards Civita. The view of the town from below is really wonderful, like being in a movie, and looking around you can also admire the beauty of the valley with its really beautiful colors (even though I think the best time to visit the town is definitely either in spring or autumn because the colors are even more unusual). This year, also because of the severe drought in Italy (and also in the rest of Europe), the colors are much drier than usual. But despite this, we were both so fascinated by the whole setting that we immediately fell in love with this city without even having set foot in it yet.
The first impression you have from above is almost seems as if you are in front of an island suspended in the void... a fairytale scenario!
As I was saying, the walk to the city is very atmospheric, and when you finish it you get to the front door and from there you begin to glimpse the beauty of this place.
The most fascinating thing is the fact that time seems to have stopped in this small hamlet, in fact walking through the small streets it seems as if you have gone back many centuries. If I had to describe it with an adjective I would probably use, unique, because honestly in all my life I have never visited anything like it. And that is precisely its beauty, because in itself the interior of the city is not something ostentatious that immediately catches the eye, there are probably hamlets in Italy that are more beautiful than this one, but still do not have this historical charm.
In the main square of the city, there is also the "Chiesa di San Donato".
We visited the inside of the church, which as the rest, is not too fancy or exaggerated, but still has it's own charm.
Walking along the main road, every time there is a turn to the right or left, one can observe some magnificent landscapes, as one can always have a view of the valley in the background, enriched by these splendid dwellings adorned with brightly colored flowers.
In one of these streets is also the entrance to the city's dungeons (which unfortunately for reasons of time we were unable to see), which in the antechamber hosts the house of Pinocchio, in fact the TV series about the protagonist of Collodi's fairy tale was filmed in this town and inside is the studio of 'mastro Geppetto', the father creator of the little wooden puppet. The town is also famous for being the location where part of the movie Twilight was filmed.
Obviously since I'm not a writer it's hard for me to describe in words the emotions I felt during this walk with @lezra inside this magnificent city, I only know that while I was walking inside these walls I felt a total lightness inside me and all I thought about was enjoying the moment. Before heading back we also stopped at a local bar to have a beer and enjoy the view of this magnificent city even more. If you have never been to Civita, I absolutely recommend it, it is an experience worth trying at least once in your life (and remember that the condition of the area is precarious, so it may be declared uninhabitable before that you think).
I imagine that towns like this can also exist in other places in the world, so if any of you know of similar ones, let us know in the comments.
