Civita di Bagnoregio
So no prizes for guessing why Civita di Bagnoregio was added onto my itinerary this time around. I mean, just look at it.
Can we just take a second to marvel at this incredible old town, built on the hill?
Getting there
By far, a car is the easiest – and to be honest, probably only – way to get to Civita di Bagnoregio. We picked ours up from Rome and drove it the two hours or so north. Our Airbnb gave us instructions on where to park, which was a discounted rate of 5 Euros for the night. In saying that, you can’t actually drive to Civita, you have to park nearby in Bagnoregio and walk about 15-20 minutes to the town.
That bridge
So, I would consider myself pretty young and fit in the scheme of things, so the walk up the foot bridge wasn’t an issue. In saying that, I was still pretty puffed and sweaty at the end, so I would not advise lugging 20kg of luggage up the hill with you. We took an overnight bag, so it didn’t weigh us down – definitely a much easier option.
Why stay overnight
About 12 people actually live in the town and most workers come in from the surrounding areas each day, so the town is almost completely empty during the night. But thousands of people visit during the day, which is why I would suggest staying a night so you can have the place to yourself for a bit, before it’s flooded with tourists. Apart from giving you ample time to take photos (without dozens of others clambering to do the same thing), it’s just so much more jaw dropping when you have it to yourself.
Dinner
So you’ve decided to stay the night, you’ve dumped your bags, the crowds have left – but now you realise almost everything is closed as a result. It’s true. Not much is open, save one restaurant in the main square. It’s called La Cantina di Arianna. It’s your only option for dinner, unless you plan ahead and buy some cold cuts and cheese, to eat in your hotel room.
Day trippers
For those who don’t have enough time in your itinerary to stay overnight, then you can definitely do it in a day trip. It’s not that big of a town – you could walk it in about half an hour. But if you’re only here for the day, you will need to pay an entrance fee. It’s minimal, about 1 Euro each and the ticket can be purchased right next to the day parking and where the bridge starts.
NOTE: If you’re staying overnight, you don’t have to pay this, just tell the worker checking tickets that you’re staying for the night and they’ll wave you through – I didn’t even get asked for proof.
Length of stay
This is just my recommendation, but I think one night is enough to see the town. You could choose to do two, if you wanted to really slow down and see Bagnoregio as well.