Domus Civita

Posted on Mon, 17 Sep 2012 by midcenturyjo

“I thought that I would let you know that we have just added a simply stunning new property in Italy to our collection – it opened in August 2012…

Here a short description: The 14th century home is located in Civita di Bagnoregio, a medieval town only accessible by a pedestrian bridge. The house itself sits on top of Etruscan caves and tombs and a beautiful Roman water cistern, all of which are accessible from inside the house and open onto a beautiful hanging garden 4 stories down and through the cliff. There is a heated pool inside one of the largest caves and a unique wine cellar for guests inside the roman water cistern. The whole setting is simply amazing – please view the images attached below.”

Chris Laugsch
Welcome Beyond

Stop it Chris. Stop messing with my head and my wandering heart. Another stunning getaway to add to my list. My “longing”list… longing to escape, longing to runaway and live forever in a 14th century home in an Italian village only accessible by foot bridge. Longing to step back in time and longing to enjoy the luxury. Domus Civita via Welcome Beyond

I cant believe what i just looked at, so incredibly beautiful! I was just reading your other blog post,Medieval minimalism, and i was yelling throughout the house trying to get my whole family to read these two posts… ahh i need to go to Italy!

This is beyond imagining – do you mean they carry all the furniture across that bridge?!

Sparky says:

Yes, Tricia, they carry EVERYTHING across the foot bridge. Shopping must be done in the nearby town of Bognoregio and carried back. There is so much I would like to say about this amazing place. My architecture professor lived in and helped restore much of this beautiful little hilltown until she passed away in 2008. She was highly instrumental in having the foot bridge built, as the foot path had eroded over the centuries. Her structural engineer husband still lives there. In fact, the entire hilltown has suffered from erosion. It's funny, I was just going through my photographs of Civita last week. Wikipedia aptly describes the plight of this precious village:

The town is noted for its striking position atop a plateau of friable volcanic tuff overlooking the Tiber river valley, in constant danger of destruction as its edges fall off, leaving the buildings built on the plateau to crumble. As of 2004, there are plans to reinforce the plateau with steel rods to prevent further geological damage. The city is also much admired for its architecture, some spanning several hundred years. Civita di Bagnoregio owes much of its unaltered condition to its relative isolation: the town was able to withstand most intrusions of modernity as well as the destruction brought by two world wars. The population today varies from about 12 people in winter to over 100 in the summer.

The town was placed on the World Monuments Fund's 2006 Watch List of the 100 Most Endangered Sites, due to the threats it faces from erosion and unregulated tourism.

Please love Civita carefully. xSparky

Bridie says:

OMG – this is amazing…on my list to visit too, I feel so drawn to it, LOVE and thank you for sharing x

Ele says:

Oh my, what a place. This is perfect get a way.

Leslie says:

I'm in awe at the beauty of it, absolutely stunning..but I'm disappointed in the choice of furniture in the first few images

debora says:

Buon giorno. What year did you study with Astra? I was there when I was 20 and still recall my Italian with an uncanny ease. THIS PLACE AND THESE PEOPLE HAD SUCH AN EFFECT UPON ME…chi'vidiamo pui tardi!

Jen Manzi says:

I absolutely love the furniture – the clean lines are so perfect with the serenity of the home – and the CAVE with the pillows – to die for!!! I just can't believe all this stuff is carried over there! Incredible.

Sparky says:

@Debora: I was there in 1988.

debora says:

Ahhh, I studied there in 1979, the summer before my first year in Arch at the UW. Last I visited Astra and Tony was in 2007. It was tremendous to gather together. I have some wonderful photos of Astra. I am ready to go back now as a caretaker. xo

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