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On our latest trip to Italy we were celebrating our pregnancy, and we wanted to explore the western side of the country. After spending a few days in Rome, we mapped out a route that would allow several stops. I needed to stretch my seven-month pregnant legs and use the bathroom!
On our way out of Rome, we came across a toll booth. The car in front of us was taking forever, and we were scoffing at the “tourists” who didn’t know what they were doing. When we pulled up, the gate opened. We skidded through, thinking to ourselves, wow they paid our toll too! It was our lucky day. We drove about an hour and pulled off at our exit. This toll booth consisted of two unmanned machines. When we pulled up to one, it prompted us to insert our ticket, but we didn’t have one! We were at a loss because we didn’t take the receipt at the entrance to the road. We thought those “tourists” forgot their receipt! So we clicked the help button, starting to worry when the line of cars behind us began honking their horns (in truth, not an uncommon occurrence.) On comes a static Italian voice shouting at us in Italian. When we said “Non parlo italiano, parli inglese,” our only Italian, he said, “no” and things got scary! We spent about two minutes trying to use our Italian dictionary and understand the very broken English he was saying. Finally we heard, “from where, Roma?” And both my partner and I shouted, “yes.” He told us an amount, we paid, and flew through the toll, off the highway, thanking God we figured it out.
That goes to show, no matter how much you travel and think you know what to expect, never assume, and never judge other tourists! For the record, if you ever drive on the toll roads in Italy, pull up to the toll booth upon entrance, get a ticket, guard that ticket throughout your journey, then insert it into the toll booth when you exit to be billed for the amount of road you drive.
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Anyways back to our first stop of the day, Civita di Bagnoregio…
Steeped in 2500 years of history, Civita di Bagnoregio is a remarkable visit halfway between Rome and Florence. The city sits atop a rock in the middle of the Tiber River Valley. Throughout its history, stability on the cliff has been an issue. The Romans defeated the Etruscans and conquered the area in the 3rd Century. They kept record of their engineering to hinder the natural degradation of the clay rock, and since then, earthquakes and strong storms have wreaked havoc on the infrastructure. Like I mentioned earlier, we visited Civita while I was seven months pregnant, and the over 300 meter uphill bridge was a feat to climb carrying an extra 20 pounds or so of baby belly.
It was worth it when we rounded the corner, passed under the twelfth century gate, and entered the first of many piazzas. We were lucky to arrive with very few tourists near the end of the day. Strolling through side streets and alleyways, we made it to the main square without seeing another soul. Piazza San Donato is where the church sits, as well as a few tourist shops, bars, and restaurants. The “busiest” part of town was more or less closing by the time we made it there. This was fine with us, as I have never experienced a whole city almost to ourselves.
We skirted into the church just in time to walk to perimeter once before being ushered out by the priest who was closing the sanctuary. People have worshiped at this site since an Etruscan temple was standing on the spot 2500 years ago. The Romans demolished that Pagan temple and built their own temple in the 3rd Century, and then in the 7th Century, a Christian church was built on the site which has stood since, although more or less rebuilt in the 14th Century. Even though the church is not as impressive as some others in the region, its history and surroundings are exceptional.
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A Donkey race is held twice a year on the main square to honor the animal that is responsible for carting everything into the town, from food, to furniture, to building supplies, and everything in between. As it was explained to us, the donkeys are not very disciplined and sometimes stop and graze, or turn around on the track, and only two animals are able to race at once because the track is so narrow. While steeped in tradition like many Italian events, today the donkey race is purely for fun and bragging rights. Unfortunately, while we were a day late for the race and missed it, we did experience the jovial atmosphere at the one bar that remained open past 7pm.
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The beautiful city is very easy to get to from Rome via the A1 which is (as described above) a toll road. Once you arrive you will need to park and walk a little less than a mile from your car up to the city. You can stay at one of the marvelous bed and breakfasts in town or, like us, decide to visit for a vino break and an afternoon/ evening exploration. If we return, we will definitely stay in the city, not only to see the streets in the morning light, but also to support the economy of the town which is surviving on tourism. There are a handful of restaurants and bars right off the main square, and I believe the hotels in town (there are about five) are near the main square. Many of the other buildings in town are empty, save for the ten or so permanent residents. What a wonderful place to visit.
What I want my son to learn when he visits:
I hope he takes his time, exploring deserted streets, finding the hidden secrets of the Dying City. I want him to remember how many have walked here before him, and how valuable the history of this place is. I also want him to be humble when traveling and not make the same assumptions we made while driving!
Love this and look forward to the next adventure.