This tiny village, about 130-kilometres north of Rome, is known as ‘The Dying Town’. And it is – dying. In fact, it’s been dying for centuries. But that’s only half the story. Today Civita di Bagnoregio is also thriving. So how can it be both?

Civita’s isolated location is striking and dramatic. It sits on a pinnacle of rock, surrounded on all sides by deep ravines. The only access to the village is via a long, narrow foot bridge. But here’s the thing; Civita is slowly crumbling away. The clay and tufa foundation beneath the town is constantly eroding, and every so often bits of the village break off and drop into the ravine far below. Over the years there’s been talk of finding some sort of engineering solution to shore up the town, but it seems those investigations are ongoing.

Almost everyone has left Civita now; only ten full-time residents remain. For much of the year, the village is virtually deserted. In the summer months, though, it’s a very different story.

In 2013 Civita’s mayor introduced an entrance fee for visitors to the town. But far from discouraging tourists, the three-euro fee has had the opposite effect. This year, 850,000 will come. 200 tourism-related businesses have sprung up in the area over the past few years. 400 new jobs have been created.

Of course tourism could also be a threat to this small village, but now the region has the resources to manage this new industry and its impact on Civita. Everyone’s delighted. The ‘Dying Town’ is thriving.