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Civita di Bagnoregio

All alone on a hilltop is one of Italy's most magnificent hilltop villages. A village called Civita di Bagnoregio. Visiting here is to return to another century, to enter another world.

There are many gorgeous villages in Italy but this one is super special. For one thing, it is so quiet—come here a little out of season, and the silence, particularly at dawn, is overwhelming. Of course, being completely car-free helps a lot.

According to the owner of Gerani Rossi (the very best place to stay in the town), the only motorized vehicles are a little tractor that brings supplies in to the residents and the occasional Vespa.

In fact, if you arrive by car, you'll need to leave it on the opposite hill and walk across the causeway that joins the two hilltops.

Causeway to Civita di Bagnoregio by James Jones

Once you get across the causeway, you're in for a treat. From the moment you enter the impressive Roman gateway, time starts scrolling back through the centuries, and by the time you're out the other side of the arch, you've gone back at least six hundred years.

There’s no checklist of must-see buildings here—because in Civita, everything is worth seeing. My advice? Just wander. Let yourself get lost in the quiet tangle of lanes and alleys, where every corner feels like a postcard. Pause whenever the view opens up between the stone walls, and when your feet need a rest, find a seat in the piazza. Order a slow cappuccino, soak in the silence, and savor the feeling of stepping out of time.

In the Piazza by James Jones

Don't rush anything here—to rush would be a sacrilege of the very spirit of this and similar towns. Actually, my advice would be to spend at least a night here at the Gerani Rossi.

Stroll the streets in the evening, enjoy an aperitivo, followed by a great meal under the spectacular starry skies. Simply savor the atmosphere of life in a car-free and beautiful medieval piazza late into the night. This is true food for the soul.

Lanes by James Jones

A friend’s nonna (grandmother) shared a beautiful story with me—a glimpse into life nearly 80 years ago, when she was just a child. She spoke of the narrow cobbled lanes in her town, just wide enough for a family, their dog, and maybe even a donkey to stroll together without issue.

People would pause along the way to chat with neighbors. If more folks happened by, it turned into a spontaneous mini-festival. Laughter echoed through the alleys as they meandered toward the piazza. There, the grown-ups gossiped and caught up on local happenings. Children darted about in play, and even the donkeys and dogs seemed to exchange their own neighborhood news.

Time moved gently back then.

Now? Elsewhere in Italy—and much of the world—families have grown smaller, yet vehicles have grown larger. Big SUVs whisk people from point A to B. In many little towns, drivers grow impatient in narrow streets. Horns blare, and engines roar as they speed off at the first opportunity.

Some call that progress.

Thank goodness that world never came to Civita di Bagnoregio. Here, time seems to stand still. The lanes are still narrow, the pace still slow, and community still thrives like it did in Nonna’s day.

Long may it stay so.

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