Civita di Bagnoregio stands on an isolated tuff spur in the center of the Valle dei Calanchi , between Lake Bolsena and the Tiber Valley . Its origins date back to the Etruscans , who founded the settlement around 2,500 years ago along an ancient communication route between the Tiber—then navigable—and Lake Bolsena. At the time, the city extended across a larger plateau than today, with five access gates, and was connected to what is now Bagnoregio.
Civita's progressive isolation is the result of a geological phenomenon that has lasted for centuries: the erosion of the clay gullies on which the tuff spur rests has eroded the connections to the mainland over time, causing landslides and collapses. A series of earthquakes starting in 1695 accelerated the decline, drastically reducing the population. Since 1965, the village has been accessible only by a reinforced concrete pedestrian bridge, approximately 300 meters long, which has allowed the site to revitalize as a tourist destination.
In 2020, the Lazio Region and the Municipality of Bagnoregio initiated the UNESCO nomination for the "Cultural Landscape of Civita di Bagnoregio," a project that also includes the municipalities of Castiglione in Teverina, Lubriano, Civitella d'Agliano, and Graffignano: an area recognized as an exceptional example of human interaction with a fragile and constantly changing natural environment. The nomination dossier, developed under the coordination of the Ministry of Culture, is being reviewed by the advisory bodies of the UNESCO World Heritage Committee.
Source: Ministry of Culture — cultura.gov.it (UNESCO nomination announcement); Municipality of Bagnoregio — casacivitabagnoregio.it/candidatura-unesco; Lazio Region — ilpaesaggioculturaledicivitadibagnoregio.it
A village between faith and nature
The Middle Ages in Civita: the free commune, San Bonaventura, and the fight against erosion
A free municipality in thirteenth-century Italy
After the Etruscan and Roman eras, traces of which remain such as the Bucaione, the ancient tunnel dug into the tuff to connect the village to the valley below, Civita entered the full swing of its medieval history: sources mention it as a free commune starting in 1140, placing it within that uniquely Italian phenomenon of citizen communes that, between the 12th and 13th centuries, saw the cities of central and northern Italy progressively gain margins of self-government from feudal and imperial powers, adopting their own statutes, councils, and elected magistrates.
It was a time of intense civic life, but also of conflict: during the 15th century, the city had to contend with the power of the feudal Monaldeschi family, who had built their own castle in the area. In 1494, the citizens of Civita rose up, besieged, and destroyed the castle, regaining their municipal autonomy. A few years later, they were besieged themselves by the troops of the French king Charles VIII, who had invaded Italy in the first of the wars that would ravage the peninsula for over sixty years.
Saint Bonaventure: a Doctor of the Church born in Civita
The most illustrious son of this land is undoubtedly Giovanni Fidanza, better known as Saint Bonaventure, born in Civita di Bagnoregio around 1217. According to tradition, as a child he was healed of a serious illness through the intercession of Saint Francis of Assisi himself, who, making the sign of the cross over him, is said to have exclaimed "Oh, good fortune": a name that remained with him for the rest of his life.
Bonaventure was educated in Paris, where he studied philosophy and theology and taught for a long time, becoming a friend and interlocutor of another great thinker of his time, Thomas Aquinas. In 1257, he was elected Minister General of the Franciscan Order, newly founded a few decades earlier by Saint Francis, and led it for seventeen years with such organizational wisdom that he was considered a sort of second founder. In this capacity, he wrote the Legenda Maior, the official biography of Saint Francis approved by the Order: a text that would directly inspire Giotto for the famous fresco cycle on the life of the saint in the Basilica of Assisi. Appointed Cardinal and Bishop of Albano in the last years of his life, Bonaventure died in 1274 in Lyon, where he was attending the Ecumenical Council convened for the union between the Latin and Greek Churches; he was proclaimed a Doctor of the Church in 1588, with the title of Seraphic Doctor.
From the free commune to the Papal State
Like much of the Tuscia region, Bagnoregio and Civita also ended up entering the orbit of the Papal States, becoming part of the system of government of the Legations and Papal Delegations administered by cardinal-governors: the same world of cardinal courts and ecclesiastical power spread across the territory that, precisely in those decades between the 15th and 16th centuries, would also shape entities like Tivoli, governed shortly thereafter by Cardinal Ippolito II d'Este.
The long battle against erosion
The true, slow adversary in Civita's history, however, was not an army, but the very nature of its territory. The village stands on an isolated tuff spur resting on a base of marine clay, a terrain that is naturally fragile and subject to erosion. Sources report that by the 16th century, the phenomenon was advanced enough to prompt the authorities to impose strict laws, prohibiting livestock grazing and forest clearing in the area, and to order residents to plant trees to contain the erosion. These measures, however, failed to halt the progressive crumbling of the land.
This slow erosion was compounded by more violent and sudden events over the centuries: the earthquakes of 1695 and 1764 were the most destructive, causing the collapse of buildings, towers, and gates to the village—which at its peak numbered five, of which only Porta Santa Maria remains today. It was precisely this combination of slow erosion and sudden earthquakes that, over the following centuries, led to the progressive depopulation of Civita, which in the 20th century the writer Bonaventura Tecchi would make famous worldwide with the definition, which has remained forever linked to the village, of "the dying village."
Sources used for this study
- Treccani — Italian Encyclopedia, entry "Bonaventura, saint" — treccani.it/enciclopedia/san-bonaventura_(Italian-Encyclopedia)
- Wikipedia (IT) — entry for "Civita (Bagnoregio)" and entry for "Bonaventura da Bagnoregio" — it.wikipedia.org
- Order of Friars Minor — "Saint Bonaventure of Bagnoregio" — ofm.org
- Cathopedia — "Saint Bonaventure of Bagnoregio" — it.cathopedia.org
- Civita di Bagnoregio (official village portal) — "The History of Civita di Bagnoregio" — civitadibagnoregio.cloud
- WeTuscia — "Bagnoregio" factsheet (history, erosion, and seismicity of the area) — wetuscia.it
- Archeotravelers.com — "Civita di Bagnoregio: The Dying City" — archeotravelers.com
What to see
| The pedestrian bridge — the only access to the village, with a spectacular view of the Calanchi Valley. |
| Piazza San Donato — the heart of the village, dominated by the church of the same name. |
| The Geological and Landslide Museum — tells the story of the erosion phenomenon that made Civita famous throughout the world. |
| The Valle dei Calanchi — the clay and tuff landscape surrounding the village, especially spectacular at sunrise and sunset. |
| La Tonna — the traditional donkey race, which takes place twice a year (the first Sunday in June and the second in September) in the square. |
How to get there
- By car from Rome: about 1 hour and 45 minutes via the A1 motorway and the Orte-Viterbo highway, Bagnoregio exit; paid or free parking (depending on the season) is available near the start of the pedestrian bridge.
- By public transport: train from Rome Termini to Orvieto or Viterbo, then local bus to Bagnoregio.
- From Bagnoregio to the village: a 15-20 minute walk through the historic center to the bridge, or a tourist shuttle to the Belvedere.
- The bridge is pedestrian; residents and authorized persons on bicycles and motorcycles are permitted to transit.
