Italy’s central region is amazing. With so many places to visit, it is really difficult to decide where to go. It was natural for me to pick the most picturesque places, and I ended up with a road trip from Venice to Florence, Tuscany and on to the Cinque Terre. However, during the pre-trip research I kept coming across photos of an ancient hamlet called Civita di Bagnoregio, founded by the Etruscans more than 2500 years ago and perched on a hilltop. Well, that really hooked me and I needed to get there.

Because the location was about three hours’ drive from where I stayed, I spent just an afternoon there, just enough to snap some photos and marvel at its beauty. The town is somehow isolated because there is no easy access, and once you get there, the only way is to walk across a quarter-mile-long bridge uphill. With that, not many tourists venture there. The place remains pretty much original and most of the inhabitants are not longer there; I’ve heard that only six of them remain there; other versions say eight. In sum, nowadays less than a handful people live there.

Once past the main gate, you feel like you’re stepping back in time, with twisted cobblestone streets leading to dead-end corners and otherwise incredible vistas of the valley below. There are a couple of souvenir shops and restaurants around the main piazza, and also it’s possible to book a room and stay there, something that I’d definitely consider next time.

Here are some of the photos that I like the best from my afternoon in Civita di Bagnoregio.

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