Civita di Bagnoregio

About

Founded by the Etruscans around 2500 years ago, this ancient city is slowly shrinking as the rock plateau it was built on erodes away. Thanks to its relative isolation, the town hasn’t changed much over the centuries, even with two World Wars. The main threat to the city’s history is what makes it so beautiful: the porous volcanic stone it sits atop is quickly eroding. The boyhood home of Saint Bonaventure, who died in 1274, has long since fallen off the edge of the cliff. By the 16th century, Civita was beginning to decline, and an earthquake at the end of the 17th, sent the town’s government moved to the suburb of Bagnoregio. Since then, it’s been known as ‘The Dying Town’, with a population that varies from about 12 people in winter to more than 100 in summer.