Past Blast: Bagnoregio

Civita di Bagnoregio

Civita street, typ.

One of our abroad day trips to the Viterbo province of central Italy was to the Civita di Bagnoregio: an old, isolated hill town. It's another cut-from-some-fantasy place, and its imposing view of the surrounding landscape lets you know how it has managed to survive so long. Its tight streets are car-free, and wind around buildings that seem to have expanded naturally over the years. The city sits on an outcrop of tufa stone, which is easily cut and mortared into the walls, stairs, roads, pizza, etc.

There is only one access road, although it primarily serves tourists these days.

One way in...