Italy Day 4 - Civita di Bagnoregio

Civita di Bagnoregio is a city founded by the Etruscans about 2,500 years ago. One person aptly described it as "an island bravely poised in the middle of the air, on the top of a truncated cone, above the immense abyss." An excellent description. The only way to access the city is by a foot bridge, so there are no vehicles inside save for a couple of delivery scooters that serve the needs of the residents.

The visit was, like the previous days in Italy, breathtaking and difficult to adequately describe. It was raining when we first arrived, but we plodded along and explored in the rain -- me under my umbrella and Mike braving the elements with only his jacket and cap protecting him from the chilling rain.
The rain washed streets of this quiet, inviting city.
I loved the leaves crawling up the inside of the entryway. We found them hanging on many of the walls. Each doorway was graced with plants of green and colorful flowers of many varieties. There were a few restaurants in the city as well as a bed and breakfast and a hotel. We ate lunch at what was a olive mill whose grinding wheel still occupied the center of the little restaurant. There were only 4 or 5 tables. Mike had artichoke bruschetta and I had toast with garlic olive oil and beans. Such a simple, fresh and satisfying lunch in a location that screamed old world Italy. The gentleman that served us was kind and patient with our halting italian and asked where we were from. He didn't seem to recognize "Florida" but his face lit up when Mike informed him that he is from Miami.
The mountains were quite visible inspite of the fog and mist. I took many pictures of the view from atop this island in the middle of the air. It was more than worth the two hour drive to see this tranquil setting with more personality than an inatimate object has a right to have.
After our afternoon at Civita, we drove southwest to the coast and stopped at Porto S. Stefano. We had hoped to see an italian sunset over the water, but didn't make it to the west side of the island in time, so we walked along the pier and waterfront. We stopped at a fish market (open to the outside at the side of the sea) and bought a couple types of fish for dinner. While I watched the gentleman clean and fillet our purchase, Mike walked to a local market and bought some greens and lemon to have alongside our fish. We drove two hours home and together created a scrumptous dinner of fresh fish pan seared in olive oil, fresh rosemary, lemon juice, salt and pepper partnered with cooked salted greens and fresh garlic bread. A perfect end to another perfect day here in Italy.