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Bagnoregio Belvedere: a panoramic viewpoint over Civita
Bagnoregio Belvedere is the best spot to view Civita. It is located at the tip of Bagnoregio's historic centre, in the Viterbo area of Tuscia, and serves as a natural terrace overlooking the Valley of the Calanchi — with Civita directly opposite, 300 metres away, clinging onto the tufa spur. The Belvedere park includes a monument bearing the effigy of the renowned Bagnoregio-born writer Bonaventura Tecchi.
Where a convent once stood
Before becoming a public park, it was a Franciscan Friars' convent. According to tradition, it was right here that St Francis healed the young Giovanni Fidanza, a gravely ill child. As he bid him farewell, he wished him in Latin "bona ventura" (good fortune). From that day on, the boy was called Bonaventura, and under that name he entered the Franciscan Order.
Due to the earthquakes that struck from 1695 to 1759, and the collapses of 1764, almost nothing remains of the convent. Since 2014, the park has been dedicated to assassinated anti-mafia magistrates Giovanni Falcone and Paolo Borsellino.
The grotto beneath the belvedere
Descending a flight of steps on the eastern side of the park, you reach the Grotto of St Bonaventura: an ancient Etruscan chamber tomb converted into a chapel, where tradition has it that St Bonaventura would go to pray.
The belvedere can be reached on foot from the centre of Bagnoregio, along Via Bonaventura Tecchi. Paid parking is available nearby.
