Today we are exploring outside of town, driving over to Civita di Bagnoregio – about a half an hour away from Orvieto. We manage to find the car pretty easily (OK, it isn’t that hard – just down the elevator, around the cashier and down the steps into the reserved parking – but still….). We’re out in no time – and eventually when Alice finds her satellites – headed in the direction of Civita.
The route takes us up and around quite a few hills of Umbria. It is a neat drive through little villages, past farm houses and up into the hills – with a view of Oriveto all the way. Unfortunately there aren’t any good places to stop for pictures, so we just enjoy the view as we pass around the hill and move on through Umbria.
We arrive at the parking lot with only one little glitch when we missed a turn. The road that leads to the parking lot closer to the bridge is closed – only open to people with parking permits and handicap permits. Darn! We had hoped to drive all the way down to the pedestrian bridge that leads to Civita and park there. But that was not to be. So we pull into the far lot, by the dilapidated building that is all screened off – ready for restoration we assume. We have to pay for parking here – and it is only a meter box. Unfortunately, I forgot to heed the warnings of our guide books and have managed to run out of useful coins. We only have 1 Euro 50 between us, which won’t get us much parking. Crud. We’ll have to go out in search of coins now. Not a happy moment.
Fortunately we are saved by a very nice couple (well, very nice woman part of the couple – the man just said no, when I asked if they had “cambio.”). The lady saved us by changing a 5 Euro note, and soon we were on our way. Down the long, long road to the long, long bridge that spanned the eroded earthen saddle connecting Civita to Bagnoregio.
It’s a long walk, but the view is stupendous. Civita perches atop the cliffs, basking in the sunlight with canyon like walls glowing in the distance. It is amazing to think that once you could simply walk along a donkey path to get to the city – and now all that land is gone, replaced with the pedestrian bridge that was bombed in WWII, and eventually replaced with the current bridge in 1966.
We purchase our 1 Euro 50 tickets at the parking lot we wanted to use (sigh) and proceeded across the bridge. Stopping occasionally for the view and to assess our progress. It’s a long way up there!
It is well worth the climb though. We round the granite stones and step into an idyllic little medieval village – almost forgotten in time. At the least the architecture is….cobblestone streets, stone buildings, gorgeous gardens, ivy covered buildings with wooden doors and windows. It is totally picturesque, and we spend the first 30 minutes or so just walking from one end of town to the other, snapping pictures and marveling at the view from up above the canyons below.
It is gorgeous and peaceful up here, even after the bus load of Asian tourists show up. The little historical museum is closed, even though the sign clearly says they open at 10, so we head back to the main square and take some shots of the church, which is also closed, along with a good portion of the square, due to the earthquake on Sunday. We rest a bit on a stone ledge facing the sun, watching as the town slowly awakens, cafes post their menus, B&B guests check out (what a cool, isolated place to stay!), and shopkeepers put out their wares (read: souvenirs).
We’ve perused all the menus by now, and have chosen to eat at Trattoria La Cantina de Arianna – where they grill over an open wood fire in the back of the dining area. The smell of the fire is wonderful – and the food selection doesn’t disappoint. They focus on meat – of course, with the wood fire grill – and we both go with grilled items. Starting with an antipasto (its so great everywhere, we’ll miss these starters once we leave Umbria), and finishing with Salsicce for Ed and a grilled pork chop for me. It’s great fun watching the son (we assume) cook our food over the wood coals, and the dad (we assume) slice our prosciutto off the bone and arrange our antipasto platter. Perfectly simple, absolutely tasty, wonderful protein meal!
We meander around town for a bit more. We watch the caretaker maneuver the only motorized vehicle up here – an Ape with an open truck like back – around the narrow streets and then down the stairs and across the pedestrian bridge - all the while taking more photos that we’ll have post later.
It’s time to walk back down the pedestrian bridge, then trudge up the long hill to the car. Wow. This is better than the gym! We’re finally in the car, and off out into the Umbrian hillside, heading back to our little apartment on the Orvieto ramparts.
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