Historical ruins in Italy and Spain attract visitors

Civita di Bagnoregio, located in the Lazio region of Italy, continues to attract approximately 700,000 visitors annually despite its nickname, ‘the dying city’. The village sits atop a volcanic tuff plateau that is subject to continuous erosion caused by wind, rain, and landslides. While the landscape is listed on the UNESCO indicative list due to the unique relationship between human settlement and environmental erosion, the village requires regular consolidation work to protect its structures and access.

In Spain, the village of Belchite in Aragon remains in ruins following the intense urban combat of the Spanish Civil War in 1937. During a fourteen-day siege, the town was devastated by Republican forces targeting Nationalist positions. Unlike many other sites, the ruins were intentionally preserved as a historical scar rather than being rebuilt, serving as a memorial to the brutality of the conflict.