Civita di Bagnoregio, Ancient village on tuffaceous cliffs in Viterbo province, Italy
Civita di Bagnoregio is a village perched on a tuff plateau in Viterbo province, reachable only by a narrow pedestrian bridge. The bridge leads from the town of Bagnoregio across and ends in front of the medieval gates of the small settlement.
The Etruscans founded the settlement around 2,500 years ago on the rocky plateau. An earthquake in 1695 damaged much of the site and drove many residents to leave.
The church of San Donato holds frescoes from the 1500s and serves as a gathering point for the few residents who still live here. The settlement carries the nickname "the dying town," a name that refers to how the cliffs continue to crumble away year after year.
Access is on foot only via the bridge, no cars are permitted. Weekends and holidays tend to draw more visitors than weekdays.
The volcanic tuff beneath the village erodes constantly, so parts of the cliffs break away regularly. This erosion has reshaped the original layout of the settlement over the centuries.
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