Some places take your breath away before you even step inside. Civita di Bagnoregio is one of them: a medieval village perched on an isolated tufa crag, reachable only on foot across a long pedestrian bridge.
Getting there from Bassano in Teverina
From Bassano in Teverina, Civita is about a 45-minute drive, following the SS675 north to Bagnoregio. There is paid parking at the foot of the village.
What to see
The centre is tiny, but every stone tells centuries of Etruscan and medieval history. The church of San Donato, the cellars dug into the tufa and the view over the Valle dei Calanchi (the badlands valley) are unmissable.
The best time to visit
At dawn or dusk, with mist lying low in the valley and the village lit up, the atmosphere turns almost supernatural. Avoid August, when the flow of tourists is heavy.