How to Visit Civita di Bagnoregio: Italy’s Dying Town
Suspended in time and space, Civita di Bagnoregio is is one of the strangest and most beautiful places I have visited in Italy.
This tiny medieval village teeters on a plateau of volcanic rock above a canyon. A single footbridge connects it to the modern town of Bagnoregio below.
Cross that bridge and you step into a village that time forgot. Cobbled lanes. Flower-strung stone buildings. A Romanesque church at the centre of it all.
Whether you are planning a day trip from Rome, a stop on a Civitavecchia shore excursion or an overnight stay, here is what I learned from visiting twice.
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How to Get to Civita di Bagnoregio
Civita di Bagnoregio is located in the Province of Viterbo in Lazio in central Italy, about 74 miles north of Rome. The town of Bagnoregio is is half a mile east of Civita itself.
The easiest way to get there is by car. It is also possible by train and bus, and organised day tours run from both Rome and the port of Civitavecchia.
By car
Take the A1 motorway, leave after the Orvieto toll booth, and then follow the signs. From Rome it takes around 1.5 to 2 hours.
Leave your car in one of the pay-and-display car parks in the valley below the bridge. The belvedere car park is closest but often closed on busy days.
Parcheggio Battaglini, at the bottom of Bagnoregio, is the more reliable option. From there it is a 15-minute uphill walk to Civita, or you can catch the shuttle bus.
By train and bus
The closest train stations to Civita di Bagnoregio are Viterbo and Orvieto. The journey via Orvieto is the better one.
Regional trains from Rome to Orvieto depart from Termini station, stopping at Tiburtina. The fastest journey time is 75 minutes. From Orvieto, catch a bus for the journey to Bagnoregio.
Check train times and COTRAL bus schedules before you go, as buses to Bagnoregio are infrequent.
On an organised tour
Public transport to Civita is doable but a faff given how infrequent the buses are. An organised day tour is the easier route if you don’t want to hire a car.
I use GetYourGuide to source and book day excursions. The platform has a wide choice of tours from independent operators and a generous cancellation policy.
One good option is a tour from Rome that combines Orvieto and Civita in a single day, with lunch and entrance fees included. Find out more here.
The second time I visited Civita di Bagnoregio was on a shore excursion from the port of Civitavecchia, paired with the Etruscan town of Tuscania. At that time, cruise passengers had to book excursions through the ship, but that rule has since relaxed, so it’s worth checking whether you can book independently and save money.
This shore excursion from Civitavecchia that pairs Civita with the “Monster Park” at Bomarzo, with entrance to both included, is a solid option.
A Short History of the “Dying Town”
Civita was founded by Etruscans around 500 BC. Traces of that civilisation remain in its street layout, a necropolis and a chamber tomb. The Romans arrived in 265 BC, and after Rome fell, the village passed between the Goths, the Byzantines and the Lombards before becoming part of the Papal States.
Its famous nickname, la città che muore, the dying town, comes from Civita-born writer Bonaventura Tecchi. The village sits on a plateau of volcanic tuff that erodes steadily, putting buildings at ongoing risk of collapse.
The risk of having your home crumble beneath your feet doesn’t compel you to stick around. The village’s population has dwindled to around 12 permanent residents, alongside a colony of roughly 20 cats.
Crossing the Bridge to Civita di Bagnoregio
To reach Civita you need to walk across the 300-metre concrete suspension bridge from Bagnoregio. It is the only town in Italy other than Venice that charges an admission fee, €3 (weekdays) /€5 (weekends) in 2026, payable on the Bagnoregio side. Some of that money goes towards preserving the village.
From the belvedere terrace at the start of the bridge, you get a full panoramic view of Civita before you set off. When I arrived, the village and the surrounding valley were shrouded in mist.
As the sun broke through, the mist lifted slowly and the whole place seemed to appear out of nowhere, suspended in mid-air above the eroded landscape. It is one of the more extraordinary sights I have come across in Italy.
Things to See in Civita di Bagnoregio
Civita is short on individual attractions but long on atmosphere. Spared the ravages of two world wars thanks to its isolation, its architecture spans several centuries largely untouched.
You enter through Porta San Maria, the village’s only remaining gate. It was carved into the volcanic rock by the Etruscans around 2,500 years ago, with a Gothic arch added in the 12th century. Crosses scratched into the stone are thought to belong to pilgrims returning from the Holy Land, and a pair of carved lions on either side mark the defeat of the Monaldeschi family in 1457.
The street beyond widens into Piazza San Donato, the village’s main square. This is where the Palio della Tonna takes place each June and September, a donkey race that plays a similar role to Il Palio in Siena, just on a smaller and gentler scale.
The Romanesque Church of San Donato sits on the eastern side of the square. Restored in the 16th century, it houses a wooden crucifix from the school of Donatello, relics of the 9th-century bishop Sant’Ildebrando, and a fresco attributed to the school of Perugino.
Civita di Bagnoregio is the birthplace of Saint Bonaventure, born around 1217 AD. In return for being miraculously healed by Saint Francis of Assisi, he became a leading theologian, minister general of the Franciscan order and cardinal-bishop of Albano.
His right arm is kept as a relic in Bagnoregio’s cathedral, and a shrine near the site of his teenage home marks the connection.
Where to Stay in Civita di Bagnoregio
Most people visit as a day trip from Rome or Orvieto, but staying overnight in Bagnoregio or Civita lets you experience the place once the day-trippers have gone. Here are a few places that other travellers rate:
Profumo di Tiglio: This holiday rental in Bagnoregio has garnered superb reviews.
Case di Civita: An apartment right in the centre of Civita itself.
Civita rarely gets the visitor numbers of Montepulciano or Orvieto, though a pending UNESCO listing could change that. More visitors would mean more revenue for a village that badly needs it to stay standing.
For now, it remains one of the quietest and strangest places I have visited in Italy, and worth the detour if you have a spare half day near Rome.
By Bridget
Bridget Coleman is an award-winning travel blogger who is an incurable Italy addict and has travelled its length & breadth on multiple occasions. Find out more here.
To get in touch, email her at hello@flashpackingitaly.com