Related News
Civita provides visitors with a spectacular setting
Print Edition
More and more Chinese tourists are looking to explore something a little bit more than just a traditional route provided by a grand capital. The hilltop village of Civita di Bagnoregio in central Italy has become one such holiday destination.
About 130 kilometers north of Rome, Civita di Bagnoregio in the Italian region of Lazio, is composed of two parts: Bagnoregio which houses around 3,800 residents and Civita which has seven residents.
The spectacular setting of Civita will take your breath away.
It perches on a plateau of volcanic rock overlooking the Tiber River valley.
In foggy days, the towering bell tower and picturesque medieval buildings look as if they are floating in the air. The local people aptly call it the “castle in the sky.”
Founded more than 2,500 years ago by the Etruscans, the whole village is twined with narrow cobblestone streets, where flowering plants dot the vine-covered stone houses with bars and restaurants hidden among them.
“Local residents are very pleased to see tourists from all over the world, among whom Chinese tourists are a very important group,” said Roberto Pomi, communication official of the municipality of Bagnoregio.
However, suffering from constant erosion of its volcanic rock into the valley below, Civita used to be nicknamed “the Dying City.”
Nowadays, as hundreds of thousands of visitors — a large number of them Chinese — in recent years are thronging into the natural beauty of Civita, the tiny village has experienced a new life.
Only 40,000 people visited Civita in 2013, but the numbers are surging in recent years, said Pomi.
Last year, Civita received 850,000 tourists, with Chinese tourists accounting for 18 percent to 20 percent.
And in 2018, the number of visitors is estimated to reach 1 million.
The influx of Chinese tourists epitomizes the desire of Chinese tourists to see not only cities but also the countryside of foreign countries, according to the tourists and guides.
“I hope to understand the ancient civilization of Italy,” said a little boy who came to visit here with his family.
Antonella Decandia, general manager of Dongyifang Tourism Consulting Company, said that Chinese tourists in recent years put greater emphasis on comfort and personal experience when travelling.
For example, they’d like to learn to cook Italian food, take children to learn Italian music and art and participate in football training.
That trend partly explained why the ancient tiny village of Civita has attracted more and more Chinese visitors.
“There are many Chinese tourists coming to our restaurant every day. I feel they are very respectful,” said Diana Giacobbi, a local resident in the larger Bagnoregio village who worked as waiter in a restaurant in Civita.
“The booming tourism offers us job and opportunities to know different cultures and languages.”
Local people’s standard of living has been largely improved thanks to the booming tourism in Civita di Bagnoregio.
“The arrival of a large number of tourists have promoted greatly our economy and make the unemployment rate here at nearly zero, and local residents pay zero tax to the government,” Pomi said proudly.
The hotel and catering industry here have also taken the opportunity to get renovated and upgraded, he added.
Several neighboring towns are planning to team with Civita di Bagnoregio in extending the sightseeing route to attract more tourists too.
“We need to provide more attractions such as the beautiful scenery of other ancient towns nearby which are worth visiting, so the tourists could stay,” said Pomi.
As the number of Chinese tourists grows fast, the Italian tourism industry has done plenty of work to improve services. Some hotels have begun to supply Chinese translation services and Chinese breakfast.
More shopping centers have introduced mobile payments such as the Alipay for Chinese customers, while some airports have opened WeChat public accounts to supply flight information conveniently for Chinese visitors.
Asked about criticism that a large number of tourists may affect the daily life of the local residents, Pomi said that the benefits of booming tourism outweigh its downsides after all.
“This is a common problem in areas where tourism is developing rapidly. Some people may complain that the arrival of tourists has left their homes without parking spaces. But zero taxation, lower unemployment, and the promotion of the town’s international popularity have brought a series of benefits, and some unpleasantness is always acceptable,” he said.
- About Us
- |
- Terms of Use
- |
-
RSS - |
- Privacy Policy
- |
- Contact Us
- |
- Shanghai Call Center: 962288
- |
- Tip-off hotline: 52920043
- 沪ICP证：沪ICP备05050403号-1
- |
- 互联网新闻信息服务许可证：31120180004
- |
- 网络视听许可证：0909346
- |
- 广播电视节目制作许可证：沪字第354号
- |
- 增值电信业务经营许可证：沪B2-20120012
Copyright © 1999- Shanghai Daily. All rights reserved.Preferably viewed with Internet Explorer 8 or newer browsers.
