In the spirit of Halloween this month, we wanted to share this blog about a Ghost Village in Italy.  The Ghost Village in Italy, Civita di Bagnoregio, is beautiful. Surprisingly, it did not inherit its nickname because it is inhabited by spirits. The small village is practically deserted with all of about ten residents. This medieval settlement filled with stone paths and houses over 100 years old, tells a story of triumph and tragedy as its glory days have slowly faded away.

The Rise And Fall Of The Village

The village was built on volcanic ash and was erected as a way to escape the lowlands that were filled with malaria. While this 1,200 year old village does provides amazing views of the sheer cliffs itâ??s perched on and deep ravines down below, it has to endure many landslides and rock falls that make it a relatively unsafe place to live at times. It does have another a very interesting feature; itâ??s only reachable by a footbridge thatâ??s suspended about a valley. Unfortunately this keeps it from being easily accessible for residents or those coming in to make repairs.

Trying To Save This Desolate Area

Some Italians have fought hard to save this village. Local authorities petitioned UNESCO to make it a World Heritage Site. Getting this status would allow this village to get the funds needed to conserve it and reinforce its crumbling foundation. Unfortunately, itâ??s still waiting to receive this status and many locals feel time is running out as the village could quickly be destroyed from harsh weather or some ill-fated luck. Back in 2013 they started charging visitors $1.67 to visit it in order to raise funds for its restoration. Only around 50,000 people have visited the village in the past couple of years so not a lot of money has been raised. The region of Lazio is joining the efforts to try to save the village by investing about $1.34 million to protect it.

The Ghost Village Isnâ??t That Unique

Ghost towns are not that unique in Italy as there are close to 20,000 of them located throughout the country. This has to do with residents being driven out due to natural disasters or lack of modern conveniences like electricity. In many places people can buy a home in one of these villages for only a few dollars, but they all need a lot of work done and the repairs have to be completed in four years. For some itâ??s worth it as they can live in a less urban area filled with stone houses, old churches and beautiful landscape.