On September 12th, we arrived at Rome Fiumicino Airport at 4:45 PM where we hopped into a car and headed up the E80 Highway to Civita di Bagnoregio. We had just 2 short days before we’d have to head back down to Rome to then make our way to Bari for our friends Rebecca & Andy’s wedding.
It was also our 10 year anniversary and we couldn’t believe that we were about. to spend 18 days in Italy.
Once we knew that the wedding was going to be held in Ostuni, Italy, we immediately got to preparing, which led to one day discovering the breathtaking hilltop village of Civita di Bagnoregio, about 120 km north of Rome.
Founded by the Etruscans over 2,500 years ago, it’s been nicknamed “La città che muore” or “The Dying City” due to the gradual erosion of the fragile tuff (volcanic rock) that it’s built on.
Due to that erosion, Civita is only accessible via a pedestrian bridge, which connects it to the neighboring town of Bagnoregio.
We arrived in the evening and it really is a wild sight to see… especially because you can’t quite grasp how scenic it’s about to be in the morning…
When we woke up the next morning (and we tend to be early morning people when on vacation), we went to the open cafe in the center square which is where we had breakfast both days we were there.
Now, seeing as Civita has fewer than 20 permanent residents, this small population primarily consists of locals who manage shops, restaurants, or accommodations catering to tourists. The number of people in the town increases significantly during the tourist season as visitors flock to see its stunning architecture and breathtaking views.
While the locals are super sweet and hospitable, the other thing we noticed immediately was that there were other locals as well, and they were the cats… and they were everywhere. So, JM spent quite a lot of time with them as well 😀
If you’re looking for stuff “to do”, the list is short, but it’s worth the downshift in pace for. Getting up early (the church bells begin quite early in the am too lol) and walking slow through the streets really is a simple joy. Coming from NYC, it sometimes takes us a little while to mentally shift into just being and this was the perfect spot to adjust in.
Now, while it would be hard to imagine you’d find bad food anywhere, the restaurants we ate at were:
Taverna Bistrot – Amazing dinner
La Piazzetta – Lunch and snacks
San Donato – Breakfast and lunch spot.
There are other amazing viewpoints around the area as well like the Scale per Civita (which is a staircase to the top of a viewpoint with a cafe) that offers the view below. Map Link
And then a short ride to the town of Lubriano has a spot where you can pull over and see a side view of Civitta as well known as the Terrazza di Lubriano.
Our Air BnB host was super helpful and the breakfast at the cafe we mentioned earlier was included with our stay. We just had to tell them our hosts name. Everyone literally knows everyone <3
Know however that on the weekends you do get daytrippers that arrive by bus to walk around and take photos and enjoy the food and scenery, so both the morning time and evening times are the most peaceful and it’s kinda amazing actually. It really forces you to be in the moment and enjoy the most simple things.
One thing to note – That footbridge is no joke, especially when you’re carrying your luggage up and down it (this is a theme we would see developing pretty quickly in Italy, but more about that later lol), so just make sure you have the appropriate footwear when you arrive because there are no vehicles allowed up or down except municipal ones.
After a truly stunning few days in Civita, we made our way back to Rome for one day before we would head to Rebecca and Andy’s wedding for one stunning week together.
