A fusion of simplicity and elegance, minimalistic in its clean, fresh lines but with references to the architectural traditions of this rural part of Italy, Locanda della Buona Ventura is one of the classiest, most exclusive hideaways of Tuscia, the heart of the ancient Etruscan civilization and a true wonder among all the Italian regions. Once the residence of an archbishop who left his coat-of-arms for us to admire right above the main door, this beautiful building dates back to the 1200’s and is located in the very heart of Civita di Bagnoregio, a unique treasure of history and nature, a breathtaking, all- genuine Medieval, traffic-free town roosting atop of a hill at a center of an impressive canyon that has been under the effects of erosion for centuries, so earning Civita its famous nickname – The Dying Town.
Sitting right in front of the 7th Century cathedral and overlooking the main piazza (where a donkey race takes place every year in June and September), Locanda della Buona Ventura was thoroughly reconstructed from quasi-debris in May 2009, rapidly gaining fame as a top comfort, charming, prestigious hotel. The work of a celebrated local architect, it has been furnished and decorated with plenty of love and zest, a special eye for tradition. Original terracotta, hand-woven linen, local carved wood and stone are the elements of décor in this palazzo transformed into four cool restful double rooms (queen-size beds), all en-suite and with a view over the impressive furrows of the Calanchi Valley.
At Locanda della Buona Ventura everything still holds the flavour of the building’s ancient spirituality and original simplicity, handmade the key word – from the carved stone sinks to the keyholes, the timber ceilings, the window shutters, the holes drilled in the walls to be used for scaffoldings (and still there for you to look through into the valley and the town), all the ancient objects that were dispersed in the house to remind the guest of the amazingly simple, hard life of old.
Locanda della Buona Ventura is being rented by the room, the daily rate including breakfast at the downstairs restaurant-cafeteria, check-in and check-out quad ferrying to and fro the footbridge connecting Civita with Bagnoregio, free tasting of the local gourmet specialties at our own cellar next door, an Estruscan cistern still there for you to visit. Due to the hotel’s high demand an early reservation is recommended.