Can a living culture survive becoming an icon?

Italy’s legendary hill town of Civita di Bagnoregio is home to a small community that stands at the crossroads of beauty, tourism, and time.

As the forces reshaping celebrated destinations worldwide reach this ancient place, its remaining residents fight to protect tradition and the future.

Documentary | 77 minutes | United States / Italy | 2026
Languages: Italian & English (with subtitles)
Status: Completed

TRAILER: https://vimeo.com/1129649033

nataliereuss.nyc

CONTACT
Natalie Reuss – Director/Producer
917-428-2901
nataliereussfilm@gmail.com

Mirra Bank – Producer
917-699-6050
mirrabank@gmail.com

SYNOPSIS

Founded by the Etruscans and perched atop a plateau of volcanic rock north of Rome, Civita di Bagnoregio has endured for more than two millennia. Over centuries, earthquakes and erosion have severed the town from its surrounding landscape. Today, a steep footbridge is the only way in or out.

Celebrated for its extraordinary silhouette and featured in such films as La Strada, Pinocchio, and Castle in the Sky, Civita has become an international destination. With only a handful of permanent residents but more than a million tourists each year, Civita faces the crisis confronting beloved historic places worldwide: how to welcome the world without being overrun by it. Behind its mythic image, Civita’s old way of life has vanished. The one now emerging must prove sturdy enough to live in, not merely admire.

Through intimate portraits of the town’s elders, CIVITA reveals a community combatting erasure with wit, resilience, and fierce attachment to place.

To record is to resist.

To remember is to fight for the future.

“It has been my urgent task to capture Civita’s soul.” – Natalie Reuss, Director

CREDITS

Writer / Director / Cinematographer
Natalie Reuss

Producers
Mirra Bank, Natalie Reuss

Creative Producer & Editor
Elena Toccafondi

Field Producer
Cinzia Rocchi

Consulting Producers
Gini Reticker, Deborah Shaffer

Original Music
Paolo Cognetti

A Production of Reuss Productions LLC © 2026 | nataliereuss.nyc