Civita di Bagnoregio - Il paese che muore

Damn the television personality that travels abroad and shows all of the best places to eat, drink, stay, and see.  You bring tourism to the smallest cities, which then overwhelms the village streets with cameras and foot traffic, and then drive the prices up on almost everything!  Unfortunately though for Civita di Bagnoregio, all the money in the world will not save this city, which when translated to English, is known as the "the town that is dying".  Eventually it will succumb to erosion and always the risk of another earthquake.  As sad as it sounds, this amazing little village of a population, I believe is currently 10, still have pride in what they have and insist on staying put until they no longer have anything to stay in.

The view from Bagnoregio

There is quite a rich history in Civita di Bagnoregio.  in 500 BC, Civita was founded by the Etruscans.  It later fell under Roman rule, then the Franks, then becoming part of the Papal states.  It was the birthplace of St. Bonaventure.

Civita was, at one time, the city and Bagnoregio was the suburb.  Connected by a foot bridge and donkey path.  Since the erosion and earthquakes, it is only connected by a foot bridge, which has been updated over the years.  Still, no cars access Civita.  The town itself sits like an island surrounded by valleys.  And like Orvieto, it is built on Tufo-soft volcanic rock.  It's truly a fascinating town, that I will be returning to in a few weeks.

A little panoramic view of one of the valleys that swallows Civita.

Bagnoregio

We were fortunate, that Chef Lorenzo was friends(I don't think Chef Lorenzo meets a stranger) with the owner of a great little Trattoria Bruschetteria - La Cantina di Arianna - since there is no website, I will include the Trip Advisor page - http://www.tripadvisor.com/Restaurant_Review-g1235481-d3395366-Reviews-Trattoria_Bruschetteria_La_Cantina_di_Arianna-Bagnoregio_Province_of_Viterbo_Laz.html

What an amazing little Trattoria with so much electricity and warmth.  We sat and prepped for our meal.  That day we had the opportunity to try their specially made Hazelnut flour gnocchi and their Ravioli with Pear and Porcini.

The wood burning oven.

Entrance to their cave where they store wine and age cured meat.

Some aged, cured meats.

The hazelnut flour gnocchi was a bit more dense than normal gnocchi, but the sweet flavor of toasted hazelnuts was present.  It complimented the creamy gorgonzola sauce and removed the typical bitterness of radicchio.  I would love to find this made in the states.

Since no one could make up our minds which we would rather try, we had a little sampling of both on our plates.  So, we also had the Ravioli with Pear and Porcini sauce.  There is nothing better than biting into a perfectly al dente piece of fresh made pasta.  It's firm, flavorful, and has a good mouth feel.  You can taste the fresh ingredients that were put into the product.  You could smell the pears in the air.  You could taste the earth that the porcini's came from and with every bite, you could sense the effort and dedicated work that went into making these pillows of happiness.

This is what happens when you can't decide.  I should be more indecisive, more often!

Around every corner of Italy that we experience lies a new surprise, a new treat, a new adventure.  I'm ready for more, but, I'm also ready to return to Civita and see the dying town that refuses to die.