Tuscan Hill Towns Day 13
Tuscan Hill Towns
DAY 13 - May 17, 2005 - Civita di Bagnoregio/Overland to Rome
We woke up to a cloudy morning and Giulia reminded us to bring our umbrellas as the forecast was for rain today. We put our luggage out before 8 AM and went down to breakfast a little early. Many were already out and about and by 9 we shook hands and said goodbye to the staff of the Hotel Duomo. The luggage had already been taken to the bus park in the small truck so we began our hike back down the hill to meet our new bus driver and the SITA bus that took us on our last day of this tour.
We are heading to Civita di Bagnoregio, a charming hill town has a permanent population of only 20 people who proudly shared their village and its Etruscan and Roman roots with us. This small settlement still demonstrates in its principle lines, the original Etruscan structure.
The decumanun (or principle road) divides the village in half and runs from east to west. At its mid-point, we found the main narrow town square, which could be recognized, as the forum of this ancient Etruscan (and later Roman) city. Civita is connected to the town of Bagnoregio by a narrow pedestrian bridge.
We made the short steep climb over the bridge to wander the car-less cobblestone streets lined with stone houses and vacation villas while admiring the expansive canyon views through the fog that had come in after a brief shower. It was like being in a community that was floating above the surrounding landscape. We explored almost every little garden and found a path down the steep cliff to a chapel carved in niche in the tufa volcanic rock. On the way back up we stumbled upon an older gentleman who invited us to enter his beautiful garden. He had a virtual museum of Etruscan artifacts, medieval armor, tools, and farm implements.
We met our group and all agreed to catch an early bus as we had seen most of the area during our two hour stay. There were only a few shops open and one or two places to eat so we all agreed not to stop and have lunch or a sit-down meal this noon. We caught the 12.33 shuttle that took us back to the main modern town and our big tour bus. We took a few minutes for a restroom break before heading out on the road in the direction of Rome.
The landscape had changed dramatically as the fields were smaller with some vegetable gardens and the farmers had already cut and rolled the first crop of hay. Although there were still a few villas on the hills, we were certainly seeing more factories, commercial buildings, and 21th century industry. We were able to see the Mediterranean Sea as we drove along the Autostrada (A-12) for miles along the west coastline. We have said goodbye to the Tuscan Hills and now we see apartments, quite a few palm trees, and exclusive homes along the sea.
We made a quick 30 minute stop at an AutoGrill for snacks and restrooms and then returned to the bus and continued our drive, now inland. We were still 30 KM from Rome but we passed through a very suburban area with small acreages, personal gardens, and vineyards. As we looked up we saw the giant aircraft on their approach to Rome airport.
We arrived at the Borgo di Tragliata, authentic agriturismo hotel, at 3:30 and were quickly assigned our rooms and told that there would be welcome drinks in the veranda overlooking the valley below at 4:30. We were served white and red wine, champagne, fruit punch, along with olives and cheese accompaniment. Giulia reminded us of our morning departures, the wake-up calls on Wednesday morning and that dinner tonight would be a five course meal to be served at 7:30.
We walked up to the main building and met the group in the patio. At 7:30 we were taken to the dining room where we had another very good meal with pasta, meat, salads, and dessert. Wine and water were also provided in a plentiful supply. After dinner we gave Giulia some gifts, told of our likes and dislikes of the trip, laughed a lot at ourselves and then bid everyone goodbye with many hugs and remembrances. We gave Giulia our tip for her work with her and walked to our room in a light drizzle.
Accommodations: Borgo Di Tragliata Meals: B, D
If you wish to travel with OAT Click Here.
To receive $50 per person off your first reservation with OAT, mention the following information when reserving your Overseas Adventure Travel Trip: Mr. Victor Garcia Customer #673062
Comments
Featured Journal
Day 13: Azores & Madeira: Portugal's Unspoiled Archipelagos
Day 13 - Saturday, April 22, 2022 - Depart for U.S.
The hotel prepared a box breakfast for us as we had to be in the lobby way before the breakfast room was open.
Last night we found out that our departure flight back to...
