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Saturday, March 17, 2018

Irksome trip to Civita di Bagnoregio

Between dodging rain and scoring sights in Orvieto, we made a day trip to the famed hilltop hamlet, accessible only by foot, of Civita di Bagnoregio.  Not that we even have much expectations to start with, to make the excursion more interesting, we decided to get to Civita by following a trail across the gorge from Lubriano - a down, then up, hike.

1. However, our 7:50 am bus did not actually make a stop in Lubriano in spite of the online schedule.  No problem, language barrier notwithstanding, our very kind bus driver made an illegal stop along the way so we could walk the 1 km to Lubriano.

2. When we got to Lubriano, the fog was so thick that we could not see across the gorge whatsoever.  We tried waiting, got cold, started walking into the fog.

3. Half way down the gorge, our trail was "banned" at a gate (poor trail conditions). Though it was easy enough to get through, 30 meters farther down the trail was closed with posts, barbed wires, and more signage.  We took the hint and turned around.  We ended up walking on the Via Romea Germanica to the river. 

4. The river crossing was a little tricky. With all the recent rain it was running high, but no big deal.  Once on the other side of river we looked to rejoin our original trail.  A big orange screen clearly signaled "no go".  So we obediently continued on the Via Romea Germanica all the way to the base of the pedestrian bridge that is the entryway to Civita.

5. A burly but friendly attendant indicated to us that we needed to buy a ticket to walk across the bridge, which we knew.  However, the price, listed as 1.5 euros in Rick Steve's 2018 Italy, is now 3 euros during the week and 5 euros on the weekend.  It took us a few minutes to absorb such inflation, but we ponied up the money to buy the tickets.

6.  It took about as long to walk to other end of town as it did to cross bridge. LOL.   Then we went to look for the endfpoint of the original trail that would have brought us out, only to discover there was a solid metal door blocking the trail.  Whew, sometimes it pays to follow rules.

We arrive at Lubriano.
Civita di Bagnoregio, Italy

And head straight to the viewpoint of Civita di Bagnoregio. LOL
View to Civita di Bagnoregio from Lubriano, Italy

After waiting 15 minutes for the fog to lift, we headed down the Via Romea to walk the gorge to Civita.
Civita di Bagnoregio, Italy

Lubriano, Italy

Lubriano gets its fair share of visitors who come for the view of Civita di Bagnoregio, so they have developed their own in-town sights, walking trails (the Via Romea), and this fountain with great views.
Civita di Bagnoregio, Italy

Civita di Bagnoregio, Italy

Civita di Bagnoregio, Italy

Hiking Banned.
Civita di Bagnoregio, Italy

So we follow the very nice Via Romea.
Civita di Bagnoregio, Italy

Civita di Bagnoregio, Italy

The recent rains had caused the road to "slip" in more than one place.
Civita di Bagnoregio, Italy

But there were good views back to Lubriano...
View to Lubriano, Italy

...and up to Civita.
Civita di Bagnoregio, Italy

One of the highlights of visiting Civita di Bagnoregio is walking across the pedestrian bridge to the town.
Civita di Bagnoregio, Italy

Civita di Bagnoregio, Italy

We wandered around town, had a picnic lunch, a walked back across the bridge to the Belvedere and the bus stop. Here's a shot of the city gate.
Civita di Bagnoregio, Italy

We hoped to arrive a Civita after walking through these "badlands" but is was not to be.
Civita di Bagnoregio, Italy

Piazza.
Civita di Bagnoregio, Italy

A few shots from the Belvedere in the new town.
Civita di Bagnoregio, Italy

Civita di Bagnoregio, Italy

Civita di Bagnoregio, Italy





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