Civitia is MAGICAL, you gotta believe this! This place is every artist’s dream, one of the most beautiful and picture-perfect villages in Italy.
Civitia di Bagnoregio is a small hilltop village in the province of Viterbo in central Italy. This surreal village has somehow managed to avoid the modern age, therefore crossing the pedestrian bridge takes you back into time. Civitia has a lot to offer: stunning panoramic views of the Lazio region, cultural abundance, medieval architecture, pretty windows, bright flowers, and home cooked authentic Italian meals.
History
Civita di Bagnoregio was originally founded by Etruscans 2.500 years ago. Enclosed between to rivers, Rio Chiaro and Rio Torbido, surrounded and protected by Valley of Calanchi, this small upland was placed in an absolutely strategic position.
Civitia appears to be cringed to the edge of a cliff, this isolation is the result of a continuous erosion that makes the tufa rock becoming thinner and thinner on an unstable layer of clay and sand altered by wind and rain. Due to its location and erosion activity in the badlands arounds Civitia, the town is often referred to ‘il paese che muore’, ‘the dying town’.
All visitors enter Civitia through an archway, Santa Maria gate, cut in the rock made by Etruscans 2.500 years ago. This was once the main Etruscan road leading to the Tiber Valley and Rome
How to get there from Rome
Civitia di Bagnoregio is approximately 120 kms from Roma Termini. From Rome, please take E35 North towards Florence and exit at Attigilano.
From Attigilano, turn left on SP11 and drive 2.1 kms, then turn right onto SP19 (drive approx. 12 kms) and turn left on SP5 (drive approx. 2.5 kms) and then continue to SP131. Drive on SP131 for approx. 9.2 kms and then turn right into SP6. SP6 will take you to Civitia. Follow the signs to the parking lot. (Please note that there are several parking lots, find a nearest one if you don’t want to walk a lot. Most parking meters take cash on 15minute basis).
After the parking lot, the village is accessed by a 15-20 minute walk via pedestrian bridge. The ticket office is located right where the walkway starts.
Ticket Office- The ticket was around 5 euros each. 
Pedestrian Bridge
Things to do
Admire beautiful scenery, feel the old Italian village, browse shops to buy local stuff, have a lunch at cute wine bars and local pizzeria
Personal Story
Civitia di Bagnoregio is definitely one of the highlights of our road trip from Rome to Florence. Just after about half an hour towards the start of day from Orte, we were caught in the midst of very heavy rainfall. To be honest I had never experienced such intense rain storm! We parked our car for about an hour and waited for the storm to pass.
At that point we weren’t hopeful that we would be able to explore any places that day, however, by afternoon the clouds flew away and the day brightened up 🙂 If you love cute old villages, old lanes, scenic views, bright flowers, old Tuscan shutter windows, old doors, authentic Italian pizza, wine bars. This place is for you…This place is Love
There are limited Air Bnb’s available there. I am sure it will be a great experience to stay here, but they were on expensive side for our budget. We chose to stay at a farm house in Orte.
Tips: Great way to visit an authentic village, historic lanes, not very crowded. The charge is very minimal. Beautiful way to spend your day in a budget!
Enjoy the photo gallery!
The church of San Donato in the main square.
Want to read about a similar experience in another town? Read our post about the beautiful tuscan town of San Gimignano
Useful Links
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THERE IS LOT TO EXPLORE. KEEP EXPLORING 🙂
Inderjit Grewal
Amazing Civitia!!! Just thinking what made someone of a place right there. I think they are the captivating views . And the lanes that take you through them to enjoy it’s beauty and architecture.
Traveling to such places is my weakness
😍you CIVITIA