It's going for $560 a night. This is not a drill.
When it was reported that Italy’s hauntingly beautiful Civita di Bagnoregio village was basically a ghost town after being decimated by landslides and earthquakes, Italians began campaigning to save the village from being lost forever. They started a global awareness campaign to save the town and, in 2013, locals started charging visitors €1.50 (about $1.67) to enter the medieval village, helping it to raise maintenance funds. Now tourists can do even more to help the village’s economy, by renting a villa in the heart of the village on Airbnb for $560 a night.
Casa Civita is a 14th-century palazzo that sits on underground caves, Etruscan tombs, and a Roman water cistern, according to the home’s listing. The floor tiles, the stone fireplace, the ceiling beams are purportedly original, though the interiors are decorated according to contemporary minimalist standards.
The villa has three bedrooms and three baths and a subterranean hot tub and heated pool seemingly built into an underground cave with easy access to a terrace and its sweeping views of the surrounding hills. Head above ground to tour the formal Italian garden or dine in the andscaped outdoor area, which features an outdoor kitchen, grill, and gazebo. In cooler weather, sit by the fireplaces and crack open a bottle from the private wine cellar.
The 1,200-year old Etruscan settlement—and hopefully soon-to-be an addition to UNESCO’s list of World Heritage sites—is an easy 74-mile drive north of Rome, but is only accessible via a footbridge suspended over a valley. It sits atop sheer cliffs with clear views into deep ravines and the sea beyond giving visitors plenty of good reasons to simply stare off into the distance.
Since the village only has a population of 10, and thus few amenities, the homeowners are happy to stock the refrigerator before you arrive. A private chef is available, breakfast can be delivered, and the hosts can arrange cooking lessons or cheese and wine tastings in the house, so guests never need to leave the slice of Italian paradise–until their stay is up, at least.
More info, over at the official listing.
