Blog 13 Civitas di Bagnoregio

Sometimes you just see something that looks so unbelievable, you have to look again. And when you do, you realize this is something special. And so it is with Civitas di Bagnoregio! Yet another mountaintop village, but this one is truly extraordinary as you can see.

First, the name! Bagno is bathroom in Italian. A good word to know when you’re in Italy! It would go like this: Per favore, bagno?

And ‘regio’ refers to a king. So like me, you’re thinking, the king’s bathroom!!! And we’d be wrong! The story is that in a very ancient time, a King went there to lay in a sulfur bath that actually helped him get well! So the village became known as the King’s bath! Yeah, you can’t make this stuff up. It’s just how the Italians are. And quite honestly, it’s a good story!!

Apparently the mountaintop was originally Etruscan ruins, and then the Romans built this village, no idea how they did it, but it is quite amazing !!

Yes, the heights bothered me greatly, but having to deal with them all the time here in Italy, I’m getting much better at not having any anxiety or concerns anymore. (She said rather weakly…and do pass the wine!!)

I give these people all the credit in the world. So many steps everywhere, and these mountaintop villages really require some ‘mountain goat’ expertise. But let’s get onto how amazing this little village is when you see the pictures of it-you just marvel at the architecture, the engineering and the building of this gorgeous place, how did they do it?

First though, December and January are cold here but the trade-off is fewer tourists!! Italy’s bus and train systems are amazing and warm. And easier to navigate with the bus and train maps!! Yes I could drive, and I have, but I feel every Italian aspires to be Mario Andretti! So they win with no worries from me.

This village is in beautiful mountains and the landscape is stunning. From the town of Bagnoregio, you catch a tour bus to an upper parking area. Then you walk down to the ‘bridge’ which takes you to the town on the rock. There are 11 people who live in the village. The stores, restaurants and BandB owners and staff commute to this mountain village.

I walked down about 50 steps which had ‘landings’ as I worked my way down the first mountain. Then downhill to the bridge. The bridge is 300 meters (about 1/10 of a mile).

Then up hill to the village. It is truly amazing and if you come to Italy, you should try to see it. I walked everywhere I could and saw so much that was just stunning. Stopped for lunch and met an American woman in the restaurant where I had lunch and we chatted and walked back down to the bridge and over to the parking lot. We saw some donkeys and they seem to be fairly important and prevalent here.

The photos tell the story. The Italian architecture and building is simply beyond comprehension.

A long lovely day. Then I headed home to a great glass of Chianti Classico (the Black Rooster)! My favorite! A bit of rain, but who cares? And tomorrow??? Ah, what surprises await!!!

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