If you’re looking for a fantastic day trip from Rome, put a visit to Civita di Bagnoregio at the top of your list. Last month, we got in the car and drove a little less than two hours North to this ancient city I read about on another Italian travel blog. When we arrived, we parked at the end of the road and made the mile walk, wondering if we had come to the right place, until we were finally greeted with this breathtaking view–there’s no other word to describe it other than magical. 
A closer look at the village shows the walking bridge leading to the village (no cars are allowed due to efforts to preserve the fragile structure–and the fact there are zero roads), as well as a closeup of the tallest point, the church tower, which you can see in the panoramic photo above. Make sure to wear comfortable shoes because this trip requires a lot of walking; I also personally recommend choosing a time to visit that isn’t during peak tourist season (summer), as the small area gets very crowded.
Is anything more inviting than a vine-covered stone entryway?
Civita di Bagnoregio is full of kitties, and we cat-lovers just had to take some photos. As deprived as they may look, don’t worry: these guys are given plenty of scraps from the tourists dining at restaurants!
From the narrow side streets lined with flowers to the incredible views of the countryside below, there’s no doubt this ancient city is full of charm. Founded nearly 2,500 years ago, the entire town was abandoned after being hit by a massive earthquake during the Middle Ages, and the number of people still remains very small today, with about 100 living here during the summer and barely more than 10 in the winter–definitely a far cry from Rome (and basically every other city in the world).
Despite the fact that Civitia di Bagnoregio is so small, there are more restaurants than anything else in the village (to support tourism, I suppose). We had a delicious lunch at Al Forno di Agnese, with a mixed variety of bruschetta to start, followed by pesto pasta and roasted chicken with vegetables, all of which had incredibly fresh flavors. Bottom line: I highly recommend stopping here for a meal if you find yourself in the town. Oh, and as delicious as the house wine is, I wouldn’t recommend drinking a lot of it if you plan on continuing your tour afterward–our indulgence made walking in the hot afternoon sun a little exhausting!
Since the main dishes were so tasty, we couldn’t pass on dessert, so we shared some (heavenly) homemade tiramisù al limone–just looking at this photo of it is making me crave another piece!
On the drive home, we got stuck in traffic on the highway, which allowed the perfect opportunity to grab the camera and snap some photos of one of the massive girasole fields along the side of the road–my favorite flowers! You can find them all over the Italian countryside during the months of June and July.
