Civita di Bagnoregio

From ghost towns (like the last post from our morning stop) to near ghost towns like this, the internet is great for finding places you know nothing about!
Civita di Bagnoregio was a dying town brought back by tourism and the internet. One of the most photographed villages in Italy, you can only reach this hill town on foot over a single footbridge. This also facilitated making it the first town in Italy that charges an admission. With 180,000 visitors last year, it keeps the towns TEN residents free of taxes and worries about eroding away!
We walked up on a hot (26 degree) October afternoon, and wonder what it would be like mid-summer at 30+ degrees and 5 times the tourists (at least!). After our solo sojourn in the morning this definitely feels more like a tourist site, but is still manageable and lovely. The first view of the town is every bit as spectacular as the photos, and the 20 minute walk over is spectacular, with breathtaking views (and steps in places!) to this living 2700 year old hamlet first inhabited by the Etruscans. Now, on Unesco's list of tentative new sites, it has suffered from 'downsizing' of a different sort. As recently as 2015 landslides took several medieval buildings off the plateau to the ravine below! What's left is amazing! We visited and old olive mill and see how the ancients methods aren't always the best however romantic they may seem! Between Donna & I, we take about a thousand pictures, meet up with some touring monks, and bid goodbye to head for our overnight stop in Sorano...Read more