Viterbo, Civita di Bagno Regio & Assisi

Woke to rain, and thought about our options. Over breakfast agreed we'd go to a distant village that sounded interesting, Civita di Bagnoregio. Since we were in Viterbo's old town, we went out through the closest gate to the intercity bus stop. Although Viterbo is touted as a medieval town - and it is - it is just part of a greater town of Viterbo which is more akin to Nunawading. We needed to change buses at the bus station, which was a huge patch of tarmac from which buses would arrive and depart. No-one spoke English, no-one was much interested in helping, and signs were few. No-one much wants to be a bus driver, especially if you have gits from another land hacking your language up; or so I reflected on the bus. I try to not be critical of what Italians do in Italy unless it directly effects me. I'm just an observer here, and to many an unwelcome visitor. Which is the main reason I didn't buy a ticket when we made the return trip; bugger 'em; but I get ahead of myself.


The bus trip to Civita di Bagnoregio looked pretty forbidding; the rain was quite heavy, and the mist was building up. The bus was empty except for us - was this wise? The trip ended at Bagnoregio itself, where we got off in the rain. The bus driver said we needed to walk or get another local bus to Civita di Bagnoregio.

From what we could see, the town looked dead. There was a single shop open and the occasional car, but no pedestrians, just mist and light rain. When the minibus came, the driver, talking loudly on his mobile phone, took us to the village of Civita di Bagnoregio. It was unspeakably wonderful.

The village is very old, perched on a rocky crag, surrounded on all sides and only accessible via a narrow bridge. On a clear day it would be stunning; on this misty day, with the bride disappearing into cloud, and the village only visible as a looming mass above us, it was highly evocative. As we walked across the bridge, we would see it more clearly for a moment, then it would be lost again.



















Within the village itself, it was beautiful. We only saw two other tourists, and one or two locals in our entire visit. We had had the impression that the village was largely abandoned, but all the houses seemed occupied. Took many photos, and left the way we came.




After a long trip home and a nap, spent the evening in the old town, after dinner poking around the medieval quarter. The popes resided here for a few years; a couple are buried here. The story goes that the cardinals spent three years in conclave attempting to elect a pope; the locals in frustration locked them into the hall and removed the roof. Shortly after that they elected Gregory X.

Next day, both feeling sick with colds and flu. Erk. We need to leave for Assisi where we have our next room booked. Although booking accommodation in advance takes some of the stress away, it also takes the flexibility. So, we dose up, pretend we're not sick and leave. There's a bus to catch - takes us three attempts to find the right bus stop - then a train. But the sight of Assisi on the hill enlivens us; after another short bus trip and dumping our bags (in a hotel with a huge, cheap room), we have a look at the cathedral, it's crypt and museum. The museum is excellent with some expansive 16th century oil paintings, frescoes and art. Amazingly, all were unprotected; there was no security or supervision; we could have done anything. Polly was great in explaining the significance of the religious art which made me appreciate it a lot more; I was able to help here with her religious trivia;; "who was the first pope who wasn't made a saint?" [Boniface II in 532] and "did you know there are quotations nested five deep in the bible?"

After a short nap, search for dinner but everywhere is closed. It's cold and very quiet. Truly, most off the people we see tonight are monks. But we eventually have a great dinner, make the ascent up through town to our hotel, watch a little 'Grande Fratello' [Big Brother] and Italy's 'Deal or No Deal', then to restorative sleep.

Polly: Assisi is another of those places tugging strongly at my Catholic roots. Having grown up in a Franciscan parish, the tales of Saints Francis and Clare are like familiar family history. The town itself is gorgeous, some of the art quite significant and the atmosphere welcoming.