She stopped us as we were walking through her enchanting Civita.
Civita di Bagnoregio
Her life had taken her to that place none of us want to be: stooped over, inflicted with the ravages of time. But, as Maria Giardino welcomed us into the private world of her lovely garden, you couldn’t resist the obvious: that as surely as she will one day soon not make the trip back up the footbridge from Bagnoregio (now her home),Civita will slip away from all of us as well.
Once a thriving large city and thoroughfare to Rome, Civita di Bagnoregio (known as “il paese che muore” – the dying town) beckons you up the long footbridge through its twenty five centuries old passageway carved out by the Etruscans. It sits on its lofty perch, towering above the ancient Calanchi Valley, itself a passageway through time.
Although populated by a handful of trattorias and shops,
only a few of its original inhabitants remain. And Maria, now in her eighties, is one of them. Her husband passed away in 2009.
Maria’s garden
We strolled amidst the beauty and intimacy of this old, well-loved garden. Worn tools rested alongside uncovered artifacts. As a gardener myself, I imagined what it must have been like to spend your days in such an enviable place. The serenity and breathtaking view out over the canyon: this is a place where you can hear the silence.
Maria Giardino
Maria reminded us of what is true in life. She is now an old woman. And in all her dignity, she carefully covered up a scarred hand before I took her picture. She wasn’t always old…as is this fairytale place.
This little hill top gem has been newly discovered by tourists and Italians themselves, some who have purchasd a” part” of it for weekend stays. The fear is of course that this rediscovery eventually leads to Civita’s demise.
But, what remains for us now, and cannot be denied, is that this lovely, haunting place steals you from the comfort of what is” real”…to a brief interval of confounding solitude.
…To visit Civita di Bagnoregio from Orvieto, head south on Strada della Stazione a few miles and turn right on rt.71. Then in true Italian fare, simply “follow the road signs” to Lubriano and Bagnoregio. Before driving through Bagnoregio, follow the signs to the left for Lubriano. Six hundred year old houses nestle along Via Roma, the nine foot wide cobbled lane that winds through this charming little village of nine hundred.
Lubriano
Take a minute to drive through Lubriano and park at the first little piazza you come to. There you will have your first stunning view of Civita, rising above the canyon. If you arrive early, you may witness the breathtaking beauty of its first appearance above the morning fog.
Civita di Bagnoregio, the footbridge
Upon returning to the Bagnoregio road, follow the yellow signs for Civita, driving through Bagnoregio. At the base of the footbridge to Civita is a small parking lot. You can park for free in the spaces with no blue lines; spaces with the blue lines are 1Euro, although – as you are in Italy – it is loosely enforced!
