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Civita, the dying town. A name that appears more of a heavy burden than a nickname. But Civita is also the village that continues to shine there, from the top of its hill from where it proudly looks down at the Valle dei Calanchi.
We are in Bagnoregio, in the province of Viterbo. An area that is much appreciated by tourists and families for the beauty of its natural territory and above all for the curious history of Civita.
The small town, of Etruscan origin and today considered one of the most beautiful villages in Italy, is indeed a unique case in Italy due to a truly anomalous factor; its isolation. Continuous landslides have in fact reduced access to the village over time, and today the only way to enter Civita is to walk the 300-meter-long reinforced concrete pedestrian bridge, built in 1965 and now an integral part of the panorama.
To access Civita you must buy a ticket (€ 3 during the week, € 5 at the week-end). The proceeds are used for conservation work.
History and art
Civita rises on a hill of rare wonder, between Lake Bolsena and the Tiber valley. Founded by the Etruscans about 2,500 years ago, the small town has always been subject to erosion that over time has caused a gradual reduction in walkable ground.
Landslides that still persist today, threatening to make the small village sadly disappear. Hence the epithet “the dying town”.
Civita remains, however, a treasure to be saved, rich in truly unique Etruscan and Roman remains. There are many attractions that make it interesting from a historical and artistic point of view: the small Etruscan necropolis, the cave of San Bonaventura, the splendid medieval houses, the Renaissance buildings.
And again, the Church of San Donato that houses the miraculous wooden Crucifix, the protagonist on Good Friday of the most important date in the town, and a fresco of Perugino’s school.
Among the best preserved finds that have marked the history of the town is the door of Santa Maria, one of the first beauties to be admired on arrival and the only remaining point of entry to the village, The door is adorned with two stone lions that seize two human heads, to symbolize the proud past of the local people.
