L'Italo-Americano

THURSDAY, APRIL 15, 2021 www.italoamericano.org 22 L'Italo-Americano tourism, the media coverage of the unheard-of idea of ini- tiating an entrance fee to a town brought massive pub- licity. "Something extraordi- n a r y h a p p e n e d , " B i g i o t t i declares. "Evidently when you pay for something, it becomes precious." Tourists descended upon Civita in droves. By 2018, over one million visitors had set foot i n t h e e n c h a n t e d v i l l a g e . C o m p a r e d t o t h e 4 0 , 0 0 0 collective visitors to Civita and the surrounding areas, i n c l u d i n g O r v i e t o a n d Viterbo, just 8 years earlier, the success of Bigiotti's plan was phenomenal. Not only has life produc- ing CPR been given to Civita with Bigiotti's strategy, her sister town of Bagnoregio, now connected only by the footbridge, found new pros- perity, as well. Life for locals grew sweet, at least econom- i c a l l y s p e a k i n g . T h e entrance fee, now at €5, goes towards sustaining the town and its infrastructure. As a result, citizens do no pay l o c a l t a x e s – s o m e t h i n g u n h e a r d o f i n I t a l y . Unemployment is under 1% today due to increased ser- vices and business opportu- nities. From nothingness to t h e l a t e s t a n d g r e a t e s t I t a l i a n v i l l a g e m u s t - s e e , Civita seems to have won the tourist lottery…maybe. N o t e v e r y o n e i s h a p p y despite the pay offs of the mayor's successful initiative. When up to 15,000 people s q u e e z e i n t o a t o w n w i t h dimensions of only 500 by 300 feet, it's going to get uncomfortable. The current 12 residents of Civita feel t h e y a r e s h o u l d e r i n g t h e b u r d e n o f l i v i n g u n d e r a m i c r o s c o p e w h i l e B a g n o r e g i o r e a p s t h e rewards. American ex-pat and resident Tony Heywood explains, "…the masses of people…the noise and confu- sion…the very reason some people came here was to get away from this." Others, such as Maurizio R o c c h i w h o s e f a m i l y h a s been a part of Civita since the 16 th century, have fared well. His restaurant, one of just a few, is a stellar suc- c e s s . B u t R o c c h i a d m i t s there is a downside. In an interview with CNN, Rocchi l a m e n t e d o v e r t h e m a n y t o u r i s t s h e o b s e r v e s w h o never pause long enough to appreciate all that Civita has to share, their main concern a selfie with a view. He does, however, relish the ability to support his family here, as well as being able to "offer an experience…to touch peo- p l e " w i t h h i s h i s t o r i c a l l y rooted food offerings. It's a catch 22 – massive t o u r i s m h a s r e s u s c i t a t e d e c o n o m i c l i f e , y e t o v e r - tourism and the problems that come with it are real. Other municipalities seek advice from Bigiotti on how t o r e c r e a t e " t h e C i v i t a e f f e c t , " y e t h e r e a l i z e s u n c o n t r o l l e d g r o w t h i s a Pandora's box. Striving to create sustainability, Bigiotti d e v e l o p e d a t h i n k - t a n k called Casa Civita. With the goal of crafting workable plans to balance quantity and quality, the visionary m a y o r m a y h a v e a n o t h e r tourism miracle to his cred- it. Civita's survival is still precarious – the forces of nature will eventually have their way. But at least for n o w , " t h e d y i n g t o w n " i s revitalized and a role model for her country. Fingers are crossed that she will be as v i b r a n t a n d i n t a c t — a n d s u s t a i n a b l y m a n a g e d — w h e n t h e t o u r i s t f l o w resurges. Continued from page 20 LIFE PEOPLE PLACES HERITAGE Tourists walking around in Civita (Photo: Petru Dorel Stan/Dreamstime) The village embraced its roots and traditions to attract more tourists (Photo: jackbolla/Shutterstock)

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